


Grand Premiere

by SpiritSoul



Series: Crescendo [4]
Category: Ghost (Swedish Band)
Genre: Angels, Blood, Concert, Demons, Depression, Drinking, F/M, Familiars, Magic, Masturbation, Monsters, Papa being a damn tease both on and offstage, Porn With Plot, Post ritual sex, Satanism, Some mythology stuff, Succubi & Incubi, Tour stuff, Weapons, getting drunk, sword fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 08:39:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12744855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritSoul/pseuds/SpiritSoul
Summary: It's the start of the tour, and everyone is happy to be back onstage after so long. But will the fans focus more on the new band member, or the loss of a beloved ghoul? What does the devil have planned? And what is lurking in the shadows, waiting to attack?





	1. Depth of Satan's Eyes

“Cadence...I love you so much…”

"I love you too.”

Lucifer’s hand shook with rage as it held the small glass sphere. Their red-orange eyes reflected the fury as the scene of Emeritus confessing his love to Cadence played itself within the small confines. Placing their index finger on the glass, the devil gently grazed it in a small, counterclockwise, circular motion, causing the scene to rewind itself until the movement of their hand stopped. The scene then replayed itself, causing the same two sentences to once again reach the devil’s ears.

“That bastard!” they shrieked, their screams echoing off the walls which were obscured by the inky black shadows surrounding them. Furious, they threw the glass sphere at the ground. It didn’t shatter upon impact, however; it merely cracked and continued rolling across the cold stone.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Seething with anger, their hands clawed into their hair. “Hasn’t he learned his lesson?!” Gritting their teeth, the devil stamped their foot onto the ground, causing a pillar of fire to erupt nearby. “Imbecile!”

With a loud huff, Lucifer opened their eyes and took their hands out of their hair, causing the pillar of fire to disappear. As the flame went out, they saw what appeared to be a multitude of bluish-grey spirits - men, women, and children - gathering behind the iron barred door, their hands reaching through the bars while being held back by what appeared to be incredibly long chains.

“Come back to ask me to free you?” the devil asked in an annoyed tone, immediately regaining their usual assertive demeanor. “Again?”

The spirits opened their mouths, but no sound escaped any of them, even if they seemed to shout. The chains clinked and tangled together as the ghosts attempted to extend their outstretched hands, desperate to grab hold of anything that seemed even remotely living. 

“You’re pathetic, the whole lot of you!” Lucifer shouted, boldly taking a step forward. “Why should I bother to mend your ways? Why should I give you another chance? You all brought this on yourselves!”

The children hid behind the women, faces contorted with terror and despair, giving the impression that they were about to burst into tears at any moment from Lucifer’s shouting.

“So I say to you all...” Without warning, the devil raised their arm before quickly bringing it back down, sending a wave of fire towards the spectres. “...wallow in your misery!”

The spirits immediately all backed away from the iron door in fear, frightened by the flames as though they were still living beings whose flesh could be singed. Slowly, with defeated looks on their translucent faces, they departed one-by-one until not one figure remained behind the iron bars.

The devil gave an irritated sigh as they lowered their hand and closed their eyes, attempting to calm down. “Idiots…” they muttered as they walked over and picked up the small glass sphere they had thrown earlier. Placing their finger onto the glass, they slowly spun it in a counterclockwise motion once again while gazing aimlessly around the massive room. 

The towering walls were made of large stones, like an ancient castle. The bright orange light from a few torches danced along them. The floor was rust-colored and littered with small crevices from which fire occasionally erupted. An elegant silver mirror hung on the rightmost wall, with an equally fancy small, cream-colored drawer littered with the best beauty products below it; things that those seeking unparalleled beauty would kill to use for themselves. In the far left corner of the room near a drawn red curtain were treasures that would make even the richest king green with envy - gold and silver trinkets, the finest silks, and jewels of every color of the rainbow. Sleeping near these material possessions was a giant three-headed dog - Cerberus, who was a prized possession of the devil’s. Finally, hanging from the ceiling was a massive web-like structure of small, glass spheres, all similar to the one Lucifer was holding, yet each one depicted a different significant event. There was a giant multitude of past, present, and future events, as well along with events that could have happened had alternative actions been taken.

“It should’ve been the other one…” the devil muttered, staring at one particular sphere next to the spot where they had grabbed the sphere they were currently holding. Ceasing the movement of their hand, they placed the current orb back into its original spot before moving closer to the one they had been eyeing. 

It was a little difficult to make out the scene within the glass, as it was a little greyed out, but from what the devil could tell it depicted a scene with both Cadence and Emeritus together, only not engaging in intimacy, not kissing, and not exchanging pathetic words of love. Just a quick smile and a “thank you” before the young acolyte walked out of the room.

“Fool…” Lucifer muttered. “Doesn’t he remember what happened to the Ghoul?” Slowly, their eyes followed the trail of spheres depicting the possible future events, ultimately stopping at one in particular. After a moment of watching the scene play out in the glass confines, a smile appeared on the devil’s face.

“He will regret his decision…” they murmured, an idea beginning to brew in their head. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Still smiling, the devil walked over to the mirror and stared at the reflection of the form they had chosen to take. They had taken on the appearance of a tall female with pale skin and long, brown hair that reached down to their back. Their eyes had remained a bright red-orange, like the fire around them. Their outfit seemed to resemble something similar to a long, black kimono with red-orange embroidery at the ends of the sleeves and around the neck.

The devil took a moment to examine the different sets of makeup before finally picking up the crimson-colored lipstick. After applying it to their lips and placing it back down, they examined the rest of their face, tucking a few stray locks of hair behind their ear.

“...My lord?” came a female voice from behind the iron bars.

Their serious demeanor reappearing upon hearing the voice, the devil glanced in the mirror at the person behind the iron bars. It was a young woman with pale skin and long, curly red hair wearing a long green dress. She held a toddler with black hair in one arm, and what appeared to be a silver serving platter and lid with the other. She seemed translucent, yet appeared more solid than the other spirits had been.

“I have what you requested,” she said, a hint of nervousness present in her green eyes.

Sighing loudly to feign annoyance, although they truly felt none, the devil raised their hand and snapped their fingers, the noise echoing in the vast room. As the sound died away, the iron door opened itself to grant the woman access.

“Lavana…” the devil said, not turning to face the woman as they addressed her by name.

Careful to avoid the crevices in the floor, Lavana entered slowly, the door closing behind her as she walked. As she passed underneath the web of spheres, the little toddler smiled and eagerly reached up to grab one which depicted the Ghouls finding Elizabeth miraculously still alive after her throat had been slit. But just before his little fingers could touch the glass, Lavana pulled him away.

“No, Asmodeus,” she said, quietly yet sternly. Carefully, she placed him down on the ground so that he could waddle along beside her as she made her way over to Lucifer. Without daring to meet the devil’s eyes in the mirror, she set down the silver tray and lifted the lid. Immediately, the mouthwatering smell of honey-glazed pork and fresh fruit wafted up to her nose, and she had to retrain herself from snatching the silver fork and sneaking a bite. 

Lucifer turned and examined the food with a judgemental stare for what felt like hours before they met Lavana’s eyes. With a nod of approval, a smile seemed to tug at their lips.

“A good choice, Lavana,” the devil remarked. “Thank you.” Taking the platter with one hand, they turned towards the red curtain that was near Cerberus’ sleeping place and waved their free hand to the left.

Immediately, the curtain was pulled, revealing a person chained to the wall. Its body was painfully thin, bones protruding out from sickly pale skin. What hair was currently left on their hanging head was thin, dirty, and unkempt.

A few seconds passed before this person slowly raised his head. When his tired eyes finally fell upon the food the devil was holding, Lucifer’s smile turned into a smirk as they walked closer to the prisoner.

“You think this is for you?” the devil asked, stabbing a slab of meat with the fork and holding it up. They then gave a laugh of amusement. “Foolish glutton.”

The man emitted a quiet sound that seemed to resemble a whine as Lucifer ate the piece of food in front of him, tugging weakly at the chains as the tantalizing aroma wafted over to him.

“Lavana, come here.”

Lavana was surprised when she heard the devil call her over, but she hesitated for only a moment before picking up Asmodeus and making her way to her lord. She became even more stunned when Lucifer held out the platter of food towards her.

“Here. Eat,” the devil said, smiling.

Astonished and a little suspicious by her lord’s kindness, Lavana glanced back and forth between Lucifer’s face and the food.

“Go on,” they said, holding out the platter a little more. “You’ve done so much for me over the centuries, Lavana. Four hundred twenty-six years as of last week, I believe?” Keeping their eyes locked on the young woman’s, Lucifer reached over and snatched a small silver plate from near Cerberus’ paw and handed it to her. “Why not celebrate a little?”

Hesitating a little, Lavana took the plate from Lucifer and held it, staring at her reflection for a moment. She stared at the scar on her neck in silence, secretly wishing that she wasn’t stuck down here for all eternity. She missed her husband dearly… She yearned to talk to him. 

After a while, the woman finally tore herself away from her reflection and took her time taking a few pieces of meat and a bit of fruit for herself. Sitting down, she took the small bunch of grapes which she had taken and began plucking the pieces of fruit off the stem, handing them to her child. Asmodeus eagerly gobbled down the sweet fruit, and his happy, young face made Lavana smile a little as she ate her own food. He was her only source of joy left in this dismal, fiery abode full of endless suffering.

The devil pulled the curtain back, once more hiding the eternally starving man from view, and walked over to the web of spheres once again, picking up the one they had thrown earlier.

“I want you to take a look at this, Lavana,” they said, running their finger over the glass in the counterclockwise motion as they walked over to her. “This happened just last week.”

Lavana stood up and peered into the glass sphere Lucifer was holding. Her eyes widened upon seeing Emeritus with the young girl, and for a moment she wondered just who it was. But soon, she noticed the girl’s lavender eyes, and she suddenly realized just who it might be.

“Is...is that…”

“Yes, Lavana,” the devil replied, still smiling. “That is Elizabeth. Or, as she’s come to be known as in this life…” Their face then turned into one of disgust, and they spat out the name like poison. “Cadence.”

Lavana did not notice the look on the devil’s face, however, and instead focused more on the scene playing in the orb. When she heard Papa say the words “I love you,” a mix of emotions showed on her face.

“Aren’t you furious? That’s your husband right there, with some other girl. One who you were very close to.”

Lavana only remained silent, rewinding the scene so that she could hear the words “I love you” once again. They sounded so genuine. She felt the sudden urge to cry, but she quickly blinked to prevent her tears from showing. After listening to the same lines on repeat a few more times, she lifted her head and stared directly into Lucifer’s eyes.

“If he’s happy, then I’m happy,” she declared. “It doesn’t matter who he’s with. And I’m happy for Elizabeth that she’s managed to find someone who truly loves her despite everything that she’s done.”

The devil’s smile disappeared upon hearing Lavana’s answer. They had expected her to be vengeful, wanting to enact her revenge on Elizabeth for stealing her husband. 

“You’re... okay with this?” they asked, anger slowly rising. 

Lavana nodded her head confidently in reply. “Yes, I am.”

The devil’s eyes narrowed as their hands clenched into fists. The room around them seemed to darken, covering Lucifer in more shadows. But their eyes remained bright, like burning flames. Their body shook momentarily in anger before they quickly calmed down. Sighing loudly, they closed their eyes, causing the room to return to its original brightness. 

“I see…” they remarked stoically. Opening their eyes, they met Lavana’s eyes, but still refused to smile. “Then you’ve become just as pathetic as her, all forgiving and nice. It’s sickening. I can’t believe you-” They then abruptly stopped talking and turned to look behind them. “Lavana, control your child!” they shouted in an irritated tone of voice.

Lavana followed Lucifer’s gaze and gasped upon realizing that Asmodeus’ little hand was just inches away from the muzzle on Cerberus’ left head. 

“Cebewus,” the toddler said with a giggle.

“Asmodeus, no!” Panicked, Lavana ran over and swiftly picked up her child before his hand could touch the fearsome three-headed dog. The creature stirred for a moment, but quickly fell back asleep after adjusting its position. Lavana did not move a muscle until she was a hundred percent certain Cerberus would not wake. When she finally backed away from the hound, she turned to face Lucifer once more. She could still see the same irritation in the swirling, red-orange irises. 

“...Why are you displeased by all this?” she asked, being careful not to lash out at her lord. “Your son has a lover again after so long.”

For a while, the devil gave no answer. Their eyes once again followed the trails of glass orbs until they fell upon one in particular. When they finally spoke, they did not turn to face Lavana again.

“...Because she’s going to get in the way.”


	2. Settled In

Cadence groaned quietly as she opened her eyes. She glanced around the hotel room for a moment before turning to look at the clock on the table next to the bed. It was only one o’clock. With a sigh, she turned so that she was once again on her back, staring up at the ceiling. All the lights in the room were off, and the window curtains were drawn, attempting to block out as much sunlight as possible.

“You doing alright?”

The young acolyte lifted her head just slightly upon hearing Emeritus’ voice, and she watched him walk over to her. She sighed and shut her eyes as she rubbed her head.

“Head still hurts…” she replied, mumbling. She tried to adjust her position so that she could rest more comfortably.

Concerned, the dark pope placed a gloved hand on top of hers. “...Do you want me to get you anything?” he asked, moving a couple strands of hair out of her face. “I have more ibuprofen if you need it.”

For a moment, Cadence stared at Papa in silence with half-lidded eyes. “...Couldn’t you just give me some Levisomnus again like last time?” she asked. “Like, maybe just a few drops in a glass of water or something? Earth told me it’s been done with other potions to lessen their effects.”

The dark pope frowned and shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no.”

Cadence groaned and shut her eyes, attempting to adjust her position again. “Why?”

“Because that potion mixed with water is a bad combination,” he answered. “Practically poison. And I’m not poisoning my Ghuleh.”

Opening her eyes again, the young acolyte gave a quiet sigh. “Then just... stay here for a bit…and hold me.” she murmured, gently placing a hand on his arm. “...Please?”

Emeritus smiled a little and gently pet her head, being careful to not try and cause her anymore pain. “Of course, Ghuleh,” he replied. He took his hand off her before walking over to the other side of the bed. Carefully, he got on and rested beside her, wrapping his arms around her as she rolled over to face him.

There was silence for a while as Cadence closed her eyes and relaxed in Papa’s embrace. She tried to fall asleep, but unfortunately could not due to her aching head. To take her mind off the pain, she snuggled closer to Emeritus and tried to focus on everything about him that she could. She studied his face, felt his gloved hand gently rub her back, and could even smell the nice cologne he was currently wearing. But her head only continued pounding, and she was forced to shut her eyes again. 

Noticing her pain, Papa placed a light kiss on her forehead. He talked to her softly while continuing to rub her back, doing his best to put her at ease. Fortunately, the pain lessened a bit after a while, and she was able to close her eyes, eventually falling asleep in his arms. Even then, he didn’t leave her side. He continued to hold her, listening to her breathing, and noting how she smiled when he whispered he loved her. It warmed his heart to see her smiling despite her pain. The two of them had gone through so many hardships over the centuries. The least he could do was help make things a little more bearable for her when given the chance…

About an hour passed before Cadence stirred again. She opened her eyes slowly, gazing up at Emeritus as he brushed her bangs out of her eyes and caressed her cheek.

“...Remind me again what happened earlier,” she murmured. “How did we get here? Everything’s a blur right now…”

Papa sat up a little, his back propped up against the headboard. He held up his right hand so that his palm faced upward towards the ceiling, and after a moment a small white pentagram that was just a few inches in diameter appeared, hovering just above his fingertips. The same pentagram could be seen on the back of his hand, the glow clearly visible even through the white fabric of the dark pope’s glove. As Emeritus spoke, he kept his eyes focused on the five-pointed star.

“We had to open up a portal in order to enter this realm from Meliora,” he said. “Luna uttered a spell from her book, and the Ghouls sacrificed a bit of their energy to help open it. It takes a lot to make a portal to another realm appear, so having multiple people work to open it at once is much easier and quicker.”

Emeritus paused for a moment, continuing to stare at the small pentagram hovering above his hand. In the blink of an eye, it suddenly turned red, then gold, then light blue before returning to its original white color again. “As soon as we entered, you were complaining of severe headaches and nausea. You’ve been away so long that you aren’t used to the sunlight yet, even with the sunglasses on.” The dark pope then lowered his hand, causing the pentagram to fade into thin air. “You nearly fainted before we could get to the elevator.”

Cadence shut her eyes and groaned, pain once again reigniting in her head. But it seemed to be just a little more bearable this time. “...What about Liam?” she asked. “And Annali. Where are they?”

“Special’s with them here in his own room,” Papa replied. “He takes care of all the familiars while we’re on tour.”

Cadence opened her eyes a little and raised an eyebrow. “All of them? That’s a lot of cats for just one person.”

“He is perfectly content with it. In fact, I wouldn’t trust anyone else to take care of all of them.” The dark pope then gave a chuckle and smiled. “Apparently he ‘profoundly worships’ cats.”

The young acolyte giggled as the image of Special praying before a giant cat statue appeared in her mind. “That makes sense.” She remained silent for a moment before sitting up and stretching.

Emeritus smiled and turned to face her. “You feeling a bit better now?”

Cadence hesitated for a moment before replying. “I think so.”

“Well, I think we should be completely sure before you decide to walk anywhere.” Carefully, Papa got up off the bed and stood up. He handed Cadence the black sunglasses studded with silver she had been wearing earlier and watched her put them on before walking over to the window. He grabbed one of the curtains and hesitated before turning to look at her. “...You ready?” he asked, concern for her well-being quickly returning.

There was silence for a few seconds before Cadence nodded her head in reply, although her face did not seem to fully match her confidence.

“Alright…” Emeritus took a breath to keep himself calm before slowly pulling the curtain back. The sunlight poured into the room, brightening it up. Immediately, Cadence winced and turned away, shutting her eyes. But after a moment, her body became slightly less tense, and she cautiously cracked her eyes open. Shaking a little, she inched her way off the bed towards the window and once she finally arrived peeked outside.

“Huh. It’s a lot like Meliora,” she remarked. “Except...a lot busier.”

“Actually, Ghuleh, it’s about the same.” The dark pope moved so that he was standing beside her. “You just never got to witness Meliora like this because all the places you and Esther visited were in the slightly less crowded parts of the city.”

“Oh…” Cadence then gave a quiet laugh after a moment. “Well, I guess that explains the lack of customers…” But her voice soon trailed off, and in the silence that fell her smile disappeared.

Papa noticed her change in behavior immediately. “What's the matter, Ghuleh?” he asked. He placed his hand underneath her chin and turned her head so that she was looking up at him. He could see her eyes through the sunglasses, and noted the hint of sadness in them.

“It’s just that, now that I know everything about who I was in the past…” The young acolyte paused. “...that means Esther was never my real sister, was she?”

The dark pope nodded his head. “That would be correct, yes.”

Another moment of silence.“Everything I thought I knew about myself...wasn’t true,” Cadence murmured, lowering her head. “I...I feel like I’ve been lied to…” 

Emeritus nodded his head. “I understand how you feel. When this lifetime started for me, I thought I knew everything about who I was and who I’d been. But after getting my Opus and Infestissumam memories back, that all changed. I felt extremely unhappy, and angered by the fact that I had been unknowingly lying to myself. I wanted to deny all that I had learned and go back to the way things had been before I knew everything.” 

He then began to smile again. “But, in time, I was able accept it. It’ll take a while, but…” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I’m sure you’ll be able to as well.”

Unable to find the right words, Cadence merely nodded her head in reply. But in the back of her mind, there was a part of her that worried she would not be able to come to terms with herself.

***

It was around three o’clock when Cadence exited the hotel room. She adjusted the sunglasses on her face for a moment before taking the time to look around the hallway she was in. The walls had a plain beige wallpaper, the carpeting contained intricate patterns of brown, black, and gold, and there were a painting on the wall in front of her which depicted a very abstract scene. She couldn’t really tell exactly what she was looking at.

“Oh, Cadence! I was just about to head over to your room to check on you!”

The young acolyte hadn’t realized that she had wandered so far down the hallway, but upon hearing the voice she suddenly found herself face-to-face with someone. The woman before her was just slightly shorter, with long platinum blonde hair that was highlighted light brown at the ends. She wore a black peacoat, light grey pants, and black heels, and had a white purse over her shoulder. 

The woman smiled up at Cadence when she finally noticed her. “Aww, those sunglasses look so cute on you!” she said.

Cadence did not recognize who this woman was, but her voice sounded really familiar, like one of the Ghouls…

The young acolyte’s eyes widened when she suddenly made the realization of who it was before her.

“Mist?!” she exclaimed.

The maskless Ghoul’s smile widened and she laughed. “I was wondering if you were gonna recognize me! I’m glad you did!”

Panicked, Cadence turned so that she was no longer facing Mist. “W-where’s your mask?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you be wearing it?”

“You’re not wearing your mask either,” Mist pointed out. “And to answer your question, since we’re not in Meliora the rule that we must keep our masks on doesn’t apply here.”

“Oh…” Cadence turned to face Mist again upon hearing those words. She hadn’t been informed of that... “...So what's up?” she asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Well, seeing that you seem to be feeling better, I was wondering if you would like to go out and spend some time downtown together?” Mist adjusted the bag on her shoulder. “I was hoping to do a bit of exploring before our first performance tomorrow.”

Cadence beamed with joy at the offer. “Sure! I'd love to!” She hadn't been able to do much of anything with Mist except for training, so she was greatly pleased by the thought of doing something else with the female Ghoul. “What do you want to do first?”

It was then that Mist looked Cadence up and down, and suddenly frowned upon realizing that the girl was still in her clergy outfit. Without saying a word, the Ghoul grabbed Cadence's arm and dragged her toward the door to her room. 

“First things first…” Mist quickly fished her keycard out of her bag. Holding it up to the scanner near the handle, there was a humming sound for a couple seconds followed by a click as the door unlocked. The female Ghoul brought the young acolyte inside, and after shutting the door walked over to a black suitcase on the bed. 

Mist opened the suitcase and rummaged through the contents before pulling out two different-colored shirts: one a light grey and the other a dark purple. She glanced at both for a few seconds before finally settling on the purple one. She then took out a pair of black flats from the suitcase before walking over to Cadence again. She held out the clothes toward the young acolyte.

“...I want you to put these on. Then, you and I are going shopping. You are in need of some more clothes.”


	3. Warning Signs

The sun was starting to set as the two girls exited the mall, painting faint yet vibrant colors in the sky. They had spent hours looking at clothes and trying them on, and now they were finally on their way back to the hotel. As they walked, a calm wind blew, rustling the leaves of the trees lining the sidewalks. People moved out of their way as the two of them walked, but many did not look up from their devices.

“You like the clothes you picked out, Cadence?”

Cadence smiled and held up the two bags she was holding, one in each hand.“Yeah! They’re all so nice!” She looked down at the outfit she was currently wearing - a long-sleeved red shirt, black pants, black jacket, and black sneakers with white laces. The sunglasses she had been wearing earlier were still on her face. “I sure wish Esther had allowed me to get clothes like this,” she said, sighing.

Mist smiled, pleased that her fellow acolyte had enjoyed the shopping excursion. “I’m glad! You know, if you want we can hang out like this more often.”

Cadence beamed with happiness. “Really? Thank you!”

“No problem.” The two of them ceased walking for a moment, waiting for the crosswalk sign to change so they could continue across. Mist watched the cars and various other vehicles go by for a bit before speaking again. “So, you feeling ready for our first performance tomorrow?”

Cadence gave a nervous laugh and lowered her head slightly, and she dug her heel into the ground. “I’m a little worried about it, honestly. I know how much performing means to the others, especially Papa.” Her face suddenly fell and her shoulders drooped slightly. “I don’t want to let him down...”

The female Ghoul continued to smile reassuringly at Cadence and draped an arm around young acolyte’s shoulder, which was slightly difficult given their difference in height. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, this is my first tour too. So I understand how you feel.” The crosswalk sign suddenly changed to “walk,” and the two women quickly made their way across the street. After making it to the other side, there was silence between the two of them for only a few seconds before Mist continued speaking. “Alpha gave me a couple tips a few days ago.”

Cadence raised her eyebrows as she looked at Mist again, interested. She could use all the suggestions she could get. “Oh really? What did he say?”

“Well…” The bassist was quiet for a couple seconds as she recalled what her fellow Ghoul had told her. “The first thing he said was-” But that was as far as Mist got before she abruptly stopped in her tracks, taking her arm off the slightly taller girl.

Cadence didn’t realized that Mist had stopped walking immediately. By the time she finally stopped and turned around, the young acolyte was already a few feet away. A look of concern now showed on her face as she wondered why the female Ghoul had stopped. “...Mist?”

Mist didn’t say anything in response. She was staring down at the ground, clearly focused on something.  
Wondering what exactly she was looking at, Cadence hurried back so that she was once again standing beside the female Ghoul. She followed Mist’s gaze and quickly saw what appeared to be a large, glowing crimson gash in the sidewalk, which made the concrete resemble skin that had easily been slashed open with a weapon.

“What in the name of…” Cadence’s voice trailed off as she looked over at Mist again. The female Ghoul currently had her Testament out and was snapping a quick photo of the small fissure. When she was done, she narrowed her eyes and looked up at the tops of the buildings they were walking by. Cadence looked up as well, but couldn’t tell where to focus. No matter where the young acolyte looked, she couldn’t see anything unusual. She looked over at Mist again. “Mist, what are you looking-”

Without warning, the Ghoul held up a hand to silence Cadence and simultaneously swiped at the air with the other, grabbing something. She then glanced down at her hand and silently studied the object she had just snatched. It appeared to be a white feather. The plume sparkled like stars in the fading light, as if it had been coated in glitter; it was almost as big as her hand.

Cadence’s eyes narrowed in confusion as she too studied the quill. Why had Mist stopped so suddenly to grab this? She turned and opened her mouth to ask the Ghoul another question, but was once again quickly cut off before she could even get a single syllable out of her mouth. Without warning, Mist suddenly dropped the feather and grabbed Cadence’s shirt, pulling the young acolyte into the nearby dark alleyway.

“M-Mist-!”

“Shh!” The female Ghoul put a finger to her lips as she glared at Cadence. “Don’t let them hear you,” she whispered.

Cadence urgently hushed her voice as well. “Who?”

But once again, Cadence’s question was only met with silence. Mist was now focusing her attention on the top of the buildings like before. As she gazed upwards, the bassist rolled up one of her coat sleeves, revealing one of the dual silver and black bracelets she always wore. Hours seemed to go by, but the only people Cadence could see anywhere were those walking past them. No one really looked threatening. She glanced behind her for a moment, but saw nothing in the rest of the alleyway. As the small jewel in the center of Mist’s bracelet began to faintly glow, Cadence cautiously started to reach into the bag which now held her acolyte outfit to grab her dagger.

After what felt like forever, Mist broke the silence once more. “Don’t.” With a sigh, she lowered her arm and turned to face Cadence as the young acolyte slowly stood up. “There’s nothing. They’re not here.” The look on her face was apologetic as she helped Cadence pick up her bags of clothes. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, but…” Cadence paused and glanced once more at the rooftop. “...what was that about?”

Mist shook her head. “I can’t tell you here. Not now.” The female Ghoul suddenly hurried out of the alleyway and returned a moment later with the feather she had discovered earlier. “All I can tell you is that this isn’t a good sign.” Silently, she rolled up her left sleeve to expose her forearm, which had a small, pale blue water symbol on it - her sigil. “We’re going to have to inform the others.” With her free hand, she gently placed two fingers on the sigil and closed her eyes. “Winter?” she mumbled.

A second passed before a small cloud of black smoke appeared in the alleyway with the two female acolytes. As it dissolved, there stood Mist’s familiar, standing proud and waiting for any command she was to soon be given.

“You called?” Winter asked, flicking her tail once. She finally noticed Cadence after a moment and looked up at her. “Hello, Cadence. Good to see you again.” The ragdoll cat looked Cadence up and down, examining the young acolyte’s new ensemble. “You look lovely.”

Cadence smiled and blushed a little from the compliment. “Thanks.” 

“Winter.” Mist’s tone matched her serious expression as she spoke. “We have to head back to the hotel. It’s urgent.”

Immediately, Winter seemed to understand the situation despite the fact that she had not asked about what was happening or why. “Of course,” she said, nodding once before turning back into a cloud of black smoke in the blink of an eye. 

As the dark cloud began to swirl around the two acolytes, Mist took Cadence’s hand. The two of them both shut their eyes as the familiar sensation of a frigid wind hit them with some force, refusing to open them again until the coldness finally faded away. After taking a moment to adjust to their new surroundings, Cadence realized that she and Mist were back on their floor of the hotel, right outside the room where she and Papa were residing in. 

After taking a moment to thank the bassist and her familiar, Cadence took the keycard out of her pocket and opened the door. Upon entering the room, she saw Papa currently seated at the small table near the window reading a newspaper.

The dark pope immediately glanced up upon hearing her enter, and it wasn’t long before an overjoyed smile spread across his painted face.

“Ghuleh!” Emeritus put his paper down as he stood and hurried over to his young love, embracing her tightly before she could get very far into the room. “I missed you so much,” he murmured.

Cadence gave a laugh and smiled as she tried to hug Papa back, but found herself unable to move due to him hugging her so tightly.The most she could really do was drop her bags onto the floor as she was lifted an inch or so off her feet. “Papa, I wasn’t gone that long.”

“I know.” With a sigh, he closed his eyes and gently pressed his lips against her soft hair. “But it felt like forever.”

“Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Emeritus could only smile at her words as he held Cadence closer. Carefully, he removed her sunglasses and tossed them onto the bed as he admired her beautiful, young face. The back of his gloved hand gently caressed her cheek as he gazed deeply into her lavender eyes, and it wasn’t long before he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” he whispered, placing his hand on the back of her head. His lips gently nuzzled against hers, and it wasn’t long before the young acolyte eagerly accepted his kiss. He took his time, wanting the moment to last as long as possible, to let her know just how much he missed her smiling face. When they both needed to pull away for air, the dark pope smiled. “Well, c’mon now. Show me what you bought!” he exclaimed as he loosened his hold on the young girl. “I want to see what you have here!”

Cadence’s smile widened, pleased by the fact that Papa was interested in what she got during her shopping excursion. She bent down and began to reach into one of the bags to pull out one of the many articles of clothes, but quickly stopped upon hearing a noise behind her. Upon glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Mist was still standing in the open doorway, watching them.

Papa quickly took notice of the female Ghoul as well. “Ah, Mist, hello. I do hope you haven’t been waiting there long?”

Mist’s expression remained pensive as she folded her arms across her chest, maintaining eye contact with the dark pope. “We need to hold a meeting. There’s something I have to announce and it cannot wait.”

Emeritus nodded his head understandingly, his expression quickly turning serious as well. “Alright, you go and bring everyone in here.”

***

It was rather strange and just a little overwhelming to see all the Ghouls gathered in one place without their masks on. None of them even resembled what Cadence had pictured in her mind. As the men all took their seats in the room, she inched a little closer to Papa while keeping her eyes on Mist.

The female Ghoul glanced both ways down the hallway before finally closing the door. After ensuring that she had locked it properly, Mist turned and walked over to her fellow band members. “You're all probably wondering why I called you all here so urgently.”

The others all nodded their heads silently in response, eagerly awaiting what Mist had to say.

“Just a few minutes ago, Cadence and I had been walking downtown when we came across-” She took out her Testament and quickly displayed the image of the glowing, red crevice after just a few taps. “-this.” 

Earth took the Testament from Mist, and after studying the picture for a few moments began to pass the device around the circle. Everyone’s faces showed surprised concern upon viewing the image, but Alpha’s face showed the most emotion. He appeared surprised, then incensed. After handing the Testament over to Water, he clenched his hands into fists and stood up.

“Anything else?!” he demanded.

“Fire.” Papa’s voice remained calm and commanding despite the current situation. “I know this is rather alarming news, but please try to calm down.” The dark pope watched as the Fire Ghoul sat back down with a huff before carefully taking the Testament from Cadence. He raised his eyebrows as he studied the photo for a few seconds before meeting Mist’s eyes. “Mist, did you two happen to come across anything else?” he asked, repeating Alpha’s question in a much nicer tone. The Fire Ghoul rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, as if to mock their leader. Papa paid him no mind.

“As a matter of fact, yes.” The female Ghoul quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out the white, sparkling feather.

Immediately, Alpha bolted upright and hastened over to Mist. Without warning, he grabbed the small Ghoul by the shoulders. “Where was he?!” he demanded. “Tell me where that angel bastard was!”

“Alpha!” Air stood up as well, but did not join his fellow acolytes.

Cadence’s eyes widened upon hearing Alpha’s words, finally making the connection between the glowing crevice and the feather. In her past lives, she had known only one person who could create such fissures. “Michael…” she whispered.

Mist shook her head as she stared up at Alpha. “We didn’t see him. He most likely disappeared before we could get a chance to spot him.”

The Fire Ghoul gritted his teeth as he released his hold on Mist, muttering to himself as he slowly trudged back to his seat. The others all watched him as he sat down before once again returning their attention to Mist.

“You...you weren't attacked, were you?” Earth asked, worry present both on his face and in his voice.

Cadence shook her head without any hesitation. “No.” Her response caused Papa to feel some relief.

“We're lucky we weren't,” Mist added, handing Emeritus the feather. “It would've caused a huge scene.”

Cadence glanced at the faces of her fellow bandmates, beginning to feel worried as well. “So what do we do?” she asked, furrowing her brow as she looked to Papa for answers.

The dark pope remained silent, staring at the feather and the photo deep in thought. After what felt like an eternity of quiet, he sighed.

“We carry on,” he answered, handing the objects back to Mist. “And be on our guard.” He stood tall and clasped his hands behind his back, meeting the eyes of each one of his acolytes. “We cannot let the angels see that we are afraid. If they do, our fight will be over before it even starts.” His gaze lingered on Cadence the longest when his eyes finally fell upon her. “I want you all to head back to your rooms and get well rested for tomorrow. Our main focus right now is the tour.”

The Ghouls all looked at each other for a moment, faces showing nervous skepticism, before standing back up. They all wished Papa and Cadence a good night before exiting. Mist left the room alone, appearing to have been barely shaken by the whole ordeal. Air had his hand on Earth’s shoulder, doing his best to calm the small Ghoul down with reassuring words. Water also did his best to help Alpha relax, but the Fire Ghoul didn't seem like he wanted to hear any of it.

Sighing quietly, Papa shut the door after all the Ghouls had left. He lingered in his spot for a moment before turning his head to look at Cadence. Her lavender eyes met his mismatched green and white ones, and he could see they were filled with unease.

“P-Papa, I…” The girl paused, then seemed to look down at her folded hands in shame. “...I'm scared.”

“Oh, Ghuleh…” His brow furrowing with worry, the dark pope walked over to where Cadence was seated. He wrapped his arms around the young acolyte as she stood up, immediately resting his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes. “It’s alright, darling. Don’t be afraid.”

Cadence tried to obey, but by now there were tears beginning to form in her eyes. “W-what if they attack us during the show? What if…” She wrapped her arms around Papa and held him tighter against her. “W-what if they-”

“Shh, Cadence…” He gently began petting the back of her head while whispering in her ear. “Cadence, it’s okay.” He placed a gentle kiss on her head in an attempt to comfort her before pulling back slightly to look down at her face. Upon seeing her tears, he gently wiped them away with his thumb. “I promise I won’t let them get you. You’re safe with us.”

The young acolyte said nothing in response, instead staring deeply into Emeritus’ eyes. His words and strong hold made her want to believe him, and she didn’t want him to let go. Silently, she wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him so near that she felt his breath on her cheeks as her eyes fluttered shut. Lips moved slowly against lips, soft moans escaping past as the two of them sought to savor each and every moment. A gloved hand tangled itself in her hair as the young acolyte dared to trail her own up and down his chest, feeling the muscles of his chest and subtle abs underneath his clothes with every rhythmic rise and fall that accompanied each breath.

Emeritus gave one last soft nip at her bottom lip before pulling away, tucking a few strands of Cadence’s hair behind her ear as he gazed down at her. “How about you and I get some sleep early tonight?” he asked. “We’ll need to be well-rested for tomorrow.”

Cadence hesitated for a moment before nodding her head slowly in response. “Okay,” she murmured. She gave the dark pope one last hug before unwillingly pulling herself away, walking over to her suitcase. She took out a grey nightgown that she often wore and soon proceeded to change into it, not minding that Papa was in the room with her. She knew he was currently disrobing as well. She’d gotten somewhat used to undressing in front of Emeritus whenever the situation didn’t involve sex.

She turned just in time to see the dark pope shed his last piece of clothing and eventually put on a nightshirt and more comfortable pants. When he was finally done changing into his sleeping attire, he turned to meet Cadence’s eyes, smiling at her again and nodded as if to reassure her once more that everything was going to be okay.

“...Papa?”

“Hm?” Emeritus stopped in his tracks, his hand currently resting on the door which lead to another part of the apartment room. “What is it?”

The young acolyte lowered her head as she clasped her hands behind her back. “I-I know there’s two beds, but… can I sleep with you tonight?”

A smile spread across the dark pope’s face. Quickly, he walked back over to Cadence and soon wrapped his arms around the girl. He chuckled upon hearing her surprised yelp as she was lifted off the ground.

“Oh, Ghuleh! Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to!”


	4. Truth

The dark pope knew he needed to sleep, but he couldn’t help but gaze at Cadence’s face as she slept peacefully beside him. He felt content knowing that his love was no longer distressed despite learning of the looming threat earlier that day. 

He gently brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and grinned upon seeing the young acolyte smile in her sleep. It was adorable, and Papa felt a bit of pride knowing that it was him who could make her feel this happy. He thought about kissing her one last time, but quickly decided against it, not wanting to wake the sweet young thing.

With a sigh, he turned over so that he was now lying on his back, facing the ceiling. As he stared up into the dark, his thoughts began to wander. He couldn’t wait for their first performance tomorrow. He had confidence in Cadence’s abilities. She had learned so much since the church had taken her in, and the dark pope couldn’t be more proud. He was very eager to see just how the audience would react to her debut appearance. He’d had Special drop a few vague hints during recent interviews, but overall they had managed to keep the information about her secret from the public. No doubt their fans would be very surprised when they see her.

His eyes soon began to close, and it wasn’t long before he finally gave into the void and drifted off to sleep.  
“Emeritus…”

A soft whisper suddenly disrupted his peaceful slumber after what seemed like no more than a few minutes. Thinking he was just hearing things, Papa turned away slightly and kept his eyes closed, hoping that whatever was making the noise would stop. It didn’t.

“Emeritus.” The voice was slightly louder now, but was not at all harsh in tone. In fact, it almost sounded like the person was begging.

Slowly, Papa opened his eyes, taking a moment to blink the sleep away. He bolted upright as the drowsiness finally went away, quickly realizing that he was no longer in the hotel room sleeping next to Cadence. He was lying on a cold, stone floor that was littered with crevices. The walls were made of the same colored stone and lined with flaming torches. It didn’t take long for him to figure out where he was and he groaned - he was in Hell. He hadn’t been down here since the beginning of the Meliora era years ago. Of all the places he’d ever been to, this was the one he despised the most. He hated hearing the neverending screams of tortured souls and witnessing all the gruesome punishments they were put through.

“Darling.” The voice reached his ears again, and it was in that moment that Papa realized just how familiar it sounded. Cautiously, he got to his feet and turned towards the source. It wasn’t long before he met the green eyes of a pale, red-haired woman in a green dress. His eyes widened upon seeing her, and he was immediately hit with a huge wave of both joy and grief. He choked back a sob as he shouted her name.

“Lavana!” The dark pope rushed towards his wife with arms outstretched, eager to hold her in his arms after years of being apart. However, when he brought his arms down to embrace her, he gasped as he passed through the woman like she was completely made of air, feeling nothing but the sensation of a frigid chill dancing across his skin. He stood motionless for a moment, staring down at his hands in stunned disbelief over what just happened before turning to look back, furrowing his brow as he met her eyes again.

Lavana shook her head, an apologetic look embedded deep in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, walking closer to the dark pope. “You can’t touch me. You’re alive.”

Emeritus slowly turned to face the ghost of his wife as she walked up to where he stood. When she was just mere inches away from him, he finally noticed how she was slightly transparent. He felt tears beginning to well up in his eyes and tried to do everything in his power to hold them back as she gazed up at him.

“Darling, I…” He paused and slowly brought his hands towards the red-headed woman, not wanting to believe that he couldn’t touch her for even a moment. Alas, when he placed his hands on her face, he felt nothing but icy cold air cutting through his gloves like a knife. The sensation and the memories that came flooding back to him made his heart ache. “...I’m so sorry.”

Lavana’s expression remained solemn as she stared up at him. Slowly, she reached up and placed a translucent hand on the side of his face. Her cold touch made the dark pope shiver as he closed his eyes.

“It’s alright.” Her hand gently caressed Papa’s cheek as she spoke. “Everything’s been forgiven, you know that. Please don’t cry, Emeritus.”

The dark pope took a deep breath to calm himself before opening his eyes again. When he did, the look on his face was one of vexation. “Did they hurt you?” he asked, his tone suddenly becoming serious. He knew Lucifer had the ability to torture both spirits and the bodies of mortals alike, and he was going to be absolutely livid if he learned his wife had suffered by the devil’s hands in his absence. 

Lavana shook her head. “No. They’ve left both me and Asmodeus alone.”

Papa’s head perked up slightly at the mention of the child’s name. “Say, where exactly is our-”

“Da!”

Emeritus looked down near his feet and soon met the eyes of a toddler whose raven black hair matched his own. A smile finally spread across his painted face as he knelt down to look the little boy in the eyes. “Hello, son,” he said, chuckling upon seeing the child’s goofy smile. The dark pope hesitated for a moment before reaching a hand out towards Asmodeus in an attempt to touch him, but his hand only went right through the little boy’s face. Still, the child reacted, giggling and grinning wider as if he had been tickled. The sound of laughter surprised Papa, but it soon made his smile widen as well. It made him happy knowing that his son was still able to remain jovial since he’d last seen him.

With a sigh, he stood back up. By now, various other spectres were beginning to gather in the room with them. They stared at Emeritus with a wide variety of expressions. Some gazed at him in amazement, having not seen a living being in eons. Some stood motionless, unsure of what to think, while others cowered behind fellow spirits in fear. The dark pope glanced at the miserable souls in silence, noting the white markings that covered many them - the remnants of Lucifer’s horrific punishments. After a moment, he once again turned to face Lavana, who had zero white markings. He just needed to know one thing. “Lavana, what’s going on? Why have I been brought back here?”

Lavana seemed to momentarily hesitate before speaking.

“Lucifer wants to speak with you,” she said. “They...aren’t pleased.”

Worry flashed in Emeritus’ mismatched eyes for a split second before his previous expression returned. He couldn’t imagine why the devil would be upset with him before the tour had even begun. The dark pope glanced around and soon saw the entrance which led into the room Lucifer often resided in. “Did they say anything about what they wished to discuss?” he asked.

Lavana shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not.”

Papa noticed that worry was now showing on Lavana’s face as she stared up at him. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her translucent frame, despite knowing he couldn’t actually hold her. “I’ll be alright, darling.” He smiled a little bit in an attempt to reassure her.

The red-haired woman stared at the entryway into the devil’s room in silence for a few seconds before she met Emeritus’ eyes again. “I hope so.” Slowly, she leaned forward and closed her eyes as she rested her head against the dark pope’s chest, sighing quietly. “You’re warm…” she murmured.

Her words made Emeritus not want to leave, but he knew deep down that he had to. The devil was a rather impatient being. Slowly, he brought his hands up her back as he leaned forward.

“Ti amo cara,” he whispered. Reluctantly, he pulled away from the ghost of his wife and soon began walking towards the entrance to the other room. Before he entered, however, he turned to glance back at her one last time. The other spirits had all gathered behind Lavana as she held little Asmodeus in her arms. The dark pope brought a gloved hand to his painted lips and blew a kiss to her before turning back around and heading into the large room. The iron bars closed behind him after he’d only taken a few steps.

Not much about the room had changed since his last visit a year ago. The walls, floor, and various decorations all looked the same, although the pile of treasures in the far left corner did appear slightly larger than he remembered it being. He gazed up at the massive web of connected glass spheres as he walked, admiring the ones which depicted pleasant memories while doing his best to avoid glancing at the bad ones.

It wasn’t long, however, before his eyes suddenly fell upon the rawboned man chained to the wall. Emeritus felt a pang of sympathy as he took in his frail, fragile state and soon began to walk over towards him, going slowly so as to not frighten the starving prisoner.

The chained man did not raise his head until Papa knelt down in front of him. He stared into the dark pope’s eyes, not uttering a sound. He appeared utterly exhausted, as if he were at the point where his body had almost given up fighting to stay alive. The sight made Papa’s heart ache once again. He could tell that the man had once been beautiful, but the prolonged period of starvation had withered the glamour away until there was none left. Gently, he placed a gloved hand on the side of the man’s face and was relieved when the fragile mortal did not flinch from his touch. Perhaps there was still time. “...Is there anything I can do?” he asked, whispering softly.

The man didn’t respond. He continued staring at Papa in silence for what felt to the dark pope like an eternity. However, after some time, the tortured soul finally moved his head. He looked slightly to Papa’s left and shakily lifted his index finger, pointing to what his eyes were currently fixated on. Papa turned his head, following the man's gaze until his eyes fell upon a silver and red chalice filled with water that had been placed some distance away.

Immediately, Papa understood what the man wanted. He got up and rushed over to the chalice. After picking it up, he hastened back to the chained man, doing his best to keep a quick pace while simultaneously attempting to spill as little water as possible. He held a hand in front of the cup as he once again knelt down before the prisoner. The dark pope carefully tilted the man’s head back upon noticing that it had lolled forward again and gently parted his lips before bringing the chalice to his mouth. 

“It's going to be alright,” he whispered. The water began to slowly dribble into the man's mouth, but Papa frowned upon realizing that the man wasn't swallowing any of it. It just leaked out of the corners of his mouth and down his pale face, wetting the floor beneath them. Concerned, Papa took the chalice away. The man's head lolled forward again, causing any remaining water to gush out of his mouth as it hung limply like fruit waiting to fall from a tree branch.

“H-hey…” Papa put the chalice down and quickly brought the man's head back up. “Don’t-” To his horror, he saw how the man's eyes were rolled back and how no breaths escaped the gaping mouth. 

The dark pope's eyes widened. “No…” he whispered, the realization hitting him. He was too late.

He watched as what appeared to be green tendrils of smoke began to leak from the prisoner's mouth. Papa's eyes followed the misty vapor, which he eventually saw was collecting in the pale outstretched hand of Lucifer themselves. After only a few seconds, the devil closed their hand into a tight fist, causing the green smoke to disappear. Bright green runic-like symbols appeared to glow on their arm for a short while before quickly disappearing again, sinking into their skin.

“My poor, foolish son,” they said, lowering their outstretched hand while glancing down at something being held in the other. “Believing once again that he could actually save someone from a predetermined fate.” A grin spread across their feminine face as they held up the object they were holding, carefully observing it for a few seconds. “And yet you still think that you can actually save her.” 

Without even bothering to look at him, they tossed the object over to Emeritus, who caught it with ease before it could hit the floor. Quickly, the dark pope realized that it was one of the small glass spheres, and the event taking place inside was him comforting Cadence just moments ago before the two of them had retired for the night. Papa glanced in Lucifer’s direction again after a few seconds and watched as the devil stood over another prisoner. It was another man, blond and much healthier than the last. His entire body had been stripped of its clothes and his arms and legs were bound tightly to a chair with thick rope. Emeritus saw the devil lean forward and whisper something to the bound man before turning away.

“Do you really think you’ve changed that much since the last tour?” they asked, speaking to Emeritus again while still not maintaining eye contact with him.

Papa raised an eyebrow as he stood up. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly stopped himself upon noticing the sudden arrival of a new person. It was a woman this time, with long black hair and such revealing clothing that she might as well have been wearing none at all. The dark pope found himself momentarily captivated by her appearance, and he couldn’t help but stare at her voluptuous form as she sauntered over to the blond man, her breasts bouncing with each step she took. However, as she became more enveloped by the light being emitted by the torches, Papa noticed the small horns poking out from her forehead and the leathery bat-like wings on her back. He quickly snapped out of his daze, realizing what kind of demon this woman was: a succubus.

His eyes narrowed in disgust as he watched the female demon lean forward and caressed the prisoner’s cheek with a pale hand. The man immediately relaxed underneath her touch and turned his head to face her, accepting her kiss without hesitation.

Of all the demons that dwelled down here, it was the succubi that Emeritus despised the most. While it was certainly true that he himself was rather lascivious, at least he had boundaries and respected those of others. Succubi did no such thing, rather doing whatever they desired to whomever they pleased. Also, they mocked him constantly. 

He tore himself away from the sight and turned to face the devil, quickly meeting their fiery orange eyes. “Why do you ask such a thing?” he boldly demanded.

Lucifer gazed up at the web of glass spheres and soon began to trail their finger along one of the paths as they slowly walked over to the dark pope. “You act like you’re so different now that you have this new relationship of yours with Elizabeth…”

“Cadence,” Papa interjected, correcting them. 

The devil ignored him and continued walking. “But the irony of the fact is that despite your efforts to protect her, it is you who will allow her to walk right into the danger. Like you do with everyone else.”

Papa clenched his hands into fists at the accusation. “I would never-” He gasped loudly when Lucifer jabbed his chest with two fingers, causing a bolt of fiery pain to shoot through his body. That shut him up. He winced and clutched his chest, groaning through clenched teeth.

“You say that, and yet-” With one hand, the devil reached up and plucked one of the spheres from its place, holding it up to show Emeritus. “It’s already been foretold. See?”

Emeritus took a few deep breaths to recover from the shock of the pain he’d felt earlier. He took a step forward, attempting to make out the event taking place in the sphere, but quickly got distracted upon hearing the blond man give a pleasure-filled moan. The dark pope dared another glance in his direction and saw that the man was now surrounded by four succubi instead of just one. There was a red-haired succubus standing behind the man, whispering what Papa could only assume to be the dirtiest, wildest fantasies her mind could conceive while grazing his earlobe with her teeth. One planted wanton kisses down his neck while another caressed his face as she kissed the top of his head. The one with black hair from earlier was now inching her way down the man's body towards his now erect cock.

Lucifer followed Papa’s gaze and observed the spectacle for a few moments. “Tell me, Emeritus, is this relationship of yours with Elizabeth nothing more than just physical?” Turning to face him again, they carefully took the glass sphere the dark pope was still holding and put it back in its proper place. “It certainly seemed to start out that way,” they said, looking over at another sphere which depicted the night Emeritus and Mary had first engaged in intimate relations with each other.

The red-headed succubus suddenly looked up, her golden eyes immediately meeting Emeritus’ mismatched green and white ones. She smiled and batted her eyelashes as she waved at him. Papa merely rolled his eyes and turned away, staring up at the web of spheres in an attempt to distract himself from the noises the prisoner was making as the black-haired succubus wrapped her lips around his dick.

“I like to believe it started the night I found her,” he replied. The dark pope smiled as he gazed fondly at the sphere which showed him taking care of Mary on the night they had first met. A part of him missed this innocent, naive version of her from two years ago, but he was also glad she was living a much better life in the clergy’s care and finally understood who she used to be. “And I can assure you that it’s so much more than ‘just physical.’ I love her dearly.”

Lucifer’s eyes narrowed in anger, causing the lighting in the room to dim slightly. “That-” They took a step forward, coming so close to Emeritus that he could see the vibrant orange and red colors swirling in their irises. “Is a problem.”

Papa’s face fell and he blinked in surprise. “It...is?”

The room darkened even more, to the point where it appeared as if only a few candles were the sole source of illumination. Without hesitation, the devil raised their hand and flung it with such force that the impact made Emeritus tumble to the floor. Dazed, he blinked for a few moments to recover from the blow before gazing up at Lucifer, eyes wide as he held a hand to his stinging cheek.

“You idiot!” Lucifer’s scream echoed off the walls as the room returned to its original brightness. “Your only task was to find Elizabeth and train her! Not fall in love with her!”

“M-my lord-!” But before Papa could even finish his sentence, he felt a strong force pull him to his feet as the devil drew their hand back. He could see the fury in their fiery eyes and wanted to back away, but Lucifer held him firmly in place. A few of their magic abilities were very similar to his own, but much more powerful.  
There was silence between the two of them for what felt like an eternity before Lucifer finally released their hold on the dark pope and spoke again.

“What happened to you, my son?” they asked, beginning to circle him at a crawling pace. “When this lifetime started, you were practically the perfect leader. You didn’t let anyone stand in your way.” Their eyes suddenly narrowed. “But after you found that girl, you spent nearly all your time with her instead of focusing on spreading my word. You neglected the one thing I made you to do.”

A wicked smile suddenly spread across the devil’s face. “...It almost makes me want to start all of this over.” The grin widened as they stared Emeritus down. “It wouldn’t take much to accomplish, would it? Just a simple...” They made a slitting motion across their throat with two fingers.

Papa’s eyes widened in horror at the devil’s words, realizing what they meant. “You wouldn’t…” he whispered.

“I would.”

Without warning, the devil pointed a hand at Emeritus’ feet. Knowing what was about to happen, the dark pope attempted to get away, but it wasn’t long before the gold pentagram appeared beneath him.

“No!” Emeritus shut his eyes and tried desperately to fight against his invisible restraints as the pentagram’s paralyzing effect spread across his body. It was no use. Before long, the paralysis had fully taken its toll. When he opened his eyes, he could no longer see the devil standing in front of him. He soon felt a hand on his shoulder.

“It would be so easy,” the devil whispered from behind him. With a snap of their fingers, a long, thin dagger appeared in their hand. “Just one slash and everything will reset A whole two years of progress wasted.” Gently, they rested the tip of the blade against the dark pope’s neck, relishing in the sounds of his quiet pleas for freedom. “And I would do everything in my power to ensure that neither you nor Elizabeth remember anything about each other.”

The blade was slowly dragged across the skin, but not enough to slice it open. Had he not been paralyzed, Papa’s body would’ve been quivering with fear. It wasn’t often that he felt so afraid for his own life, despite knowing that he couldn’t truly die, but the thought of having all he had created in this lifetime disappear in the blink of an eye terrified him. And having Mary forget him again? He couldn’t bear the thought. “My lord, please…!” he begged.

Again, there was silence, save for the sound of Papa’s rapid breathing. Then, after what felt like an eternity, Lucifer took the knife away.

“But that tour of yours is starting up tomorrow, isn’t it?” they asked. The devil stared at the silver blade before meeting Emeritus’ eyes when they were once again standing in front of him. “You’re lucky.”

Papa gasped as the pentagram underneath him disappeared, allowing him to move again. The moment he took a step forward, his body collapsed onto the floor. Trembling, he brought his hands to his face and sobbed, muttering words of thanks and praise in various languages.

“Save your breath. There’s no use in crying,” the devil said, tossing the dagger away. It quickly disappeared in a puff of black smoke upon hitting the ground.

Slowly, Emeritus calmed down, a wave of relief washing through him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and lowered his shaking hands, but did not get up off the floor. The room eventually returned to its original brightness as he took the time to let everything sink in. He couldn’t believe his current lifetime had almost ended just seconds ago.

When he opened his eyes, however, he was surprised to see a familiar person standing over him. His eyes widened slightly as he stared up at her.

“...G-Ghuleh?”

Cadence smiled and gently placed a finger on his lips before he could say anymore. Dumbfounded, he watched as she silently lowered herself so that she sat in his lap, facing him. For a moment, he questioned if it really was Cadence, but the doubt suddenly erased itself from his mind the moment he felt her hand caressing his cheek. He sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing underneath her touch. It wasn't long before her lips met his.

The kiss was electrifying; he literally felt a buzzing sensation spread throughout his body as his lips moved against hers. His moans accompanied those of the prisoner, more muffled but still loud enough for the devil to hear. Lucifer watched in observant silence.  
He wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her against him as her tongue lashed out to meet his. As her fingers began to undo the buttons on his shirt one by one, he heard the man give one long, final moan, indicating that he came. Upon hearing it, the dark pope suddenly wanted nothing more then to reach that moment of ecstasy himself. He leaned back slightly and sighed as Cadence began kissing her way down his chest, each one being accompanied by a slight tingling sensation on his skin as she got lower…

A sharp gasp suddenly left him when he felt something penetrate his skin. His eyes shot open and he immediately looked down. There was a bleeding wound on his chest resembling teeth marks. He glanced up slightly to meet Cadence's eyes. She was still smiling seductively at him, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth.

It was then that the prisoner screamed in agony. The sound snapped Papa out of his daze, and he quickly peered over Cadence’s shoulder. The succubi were no longer being gentle. Instead, they were gnawing and tearing at the man's flesh with animalistic ferocity while he tugged desperately at his bonds, trying to escape.

Horrified, Papa shoved the girl off him with all his might and backed away before she could do anything else to him. As she hit the ground, he watched as her features began to change until she had fully morphed back into the red-headed succubus he had seen earlier. The female demon glared at him with her yellow eyes and hissed before running at him. 

Quickly, Emeritus held up his hand with his palm facing towards him. In a split second, a white pentagram appeared on the back of his hand, and soon a similar, much larger pentagram manifested in front of him. The succubus had no time to react before she collided into the magic symbol. Still, she persisted, attempting to reach around the pentagram to get her claws on the dark pope. Seeing this, Papa shut his eyes tightly, causing the size of the pentagram to grow before it suddenly shattered like glass. The force knocked the succubus back so far that it managed to get impaled through the stomach on a jagged rock near the wall. Gasping for air, the demon struggled in an attempt to get back down to the ground, black blood beginning to collect on the floor beneath her. It wasn't long, however, before her head lolled forward and her body went limp. Emeritus gave a sigh of relief as his pentagram disappeared and placed a hand over the wound on his chest.

Lucifer stared at the impaled succubus for a few moments before turning to look at Papa. They smirked at him, pleased by what had just occurred. Emeritus hardly ever killed anything these days. They very much liked that the outcome had resulted in some bloodshed.

Papa soon met Lucifer’s eyes after catching his breath and glared at them. He was sick of being down here. He wanted to be away from the demons and tortured prisoners. “Take me back,” he demanded, not caring that it was disrespectful. “Now.”

The devil’s smile disappeared, and after a moment they sighed. “Alright,” they said in an annoyed tone. “Just remember what I told you.”

“It’s not going to happen,” Papa insisted. “I will not lead Cadence into any danger. I will be there to protect her.”

The devil didn’t appear to believe him. Their eyes narrowed, and the room darkened slightly once more. “In time, you’ll see that I was right, my son. Farewell.”

Before Emeritus could say anything, the devil snapped their fingers. In the mere blink of an eye, the dark pope suddenly found himself back in the hotel bed, as if everything he had just witnessed had all been just a dream. He sat up slightly and rubbed his head, trying to process everything he had just seen and heard. A look at the clock nearby told him that it was almost three in the morning.

Before long, there was movement in the bed beside him. He looked over and soon met Cadence’s tired eyes.

“...Papa?” she murmured, not fully awake yet. “You okay?”

Papa attempted to smile at the young acolyte as she sat up, but couldn’t bring himself to. How in the world was he going to explain to her what he had just been through? That he had talked to the devil and nearly lost her again? Should he lie and tell her he had just had a bad dream? “I-”

It was then that Cadence glanced down and her eyes widened. “W-what happened to your chest?!”

Emeritus glanced down as well and grimaced slightly upon seeing that the wound the succubus had given him earlier was still there.

Cadence took a breath to calm down. “Okay, don’t move,” she said. Without saying anything else, she quickly got off the bed and hurried over to her bag. Upon opening it, she took out her ritual dagger and hurried back over to him. Quickly, she slid the sharp blade across her palm, drawing blood. She winced slightly from the pain but quickly ignored it, beginning to smear the blood over the wounded area.

Papa was at a loss for words. He didn’t understand what was happening. All he could do was watch. Before long, Cadence took a few tissues from the box near the bed and wiped the blood away, revealing that the wound was now completely gone and replaced by smooth, perfect skin. His eyes widened as he looked at her face again. “Cadence, what-”

“New trick I learned a few nights ago while training with Mist.” She tossed the bloody tissues into the trash and placed her dagger on the table before looking up at Papa. Her eyebrows raised with concern. “Are you alright?”

The dark pope gazed at her in silence. With a gloved hand, he smoothed back her hair so he could see her face better. After a moment, he finally smiled.

“Yes, Cadence. I’m alright,” he whispered before bringing her close and kissing her on the top of her head. Nothing was going to take her from him. He was sure of that.


	5. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, I get a new chapter in after a month! About time! Anyway, hope you all enjoy, and comments are greatly appreciated.

It was daytime now, hours before the first show of the tour was to start. Everyone was busy loading the last of their things onto the massive tour bus. Cadence had finished bringing all her belongings onboard and was now laying across the couch, giggling as Liam chased after the feather on the cat toy she was using.

“C’mon, Liam, you can get it!”

The tiny munchkin kitten leapt at the neon green feather, missing it again as Cadence lifted it slightly. Still, he remained persistent. “You will not evade me, mysterious floating feather!” he declared, preparing to pounce again.

Cadence giggled, finding it funny how her familiar had no idea about the string connecting the feather to the stick she was holding. This time, she allowed Liam to catch it.

The doors of the bus soon opened, and after a moment Earth stepped onboard. It took Cadence a moment to realize that the Ghoul was dragging something behind him, and struggling to do so as he made his way up the bus steps. She sat up as she watched him. “Is that...potting soil?”

Earth smiled and laughed as he looked at her. “Uh huh.”

Cadence narrowed her eyes in confusion. Carefully, she set Liam and the cat toy down on the pillow beside her before standing up. “But...why?”

Earth took a moment to heave the giant bag of dirt up a step. “You know how we need something of our element to summon our weapon?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you guys all have it easy. Alpha always keeps a few lighters on hand, Water just has to carry a few water bottles or wait until it rains, Mist can use her own shadow if needed, Air can practically summon his anywhere he pleases since there’s air everywhere, you’re good as long as you have a few drops of blood in your body, but I…” He hauled the heavy bag up another step. “I have to carry this thing around. It’s more convenient than searching for a garden that could be miles away.”

The young acolyte nodded her head. “That makes sense.” She walked a few steps closer to Earth. “You need any help carrying that?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

The small Ghoul continued slowly making his way up the steps. However, the closer he got to the top, the more he struggled. Exhausted, he eventually dropped the bag when he was no more than a few steps to the top.

“Okay, that’s it. I lied.” The small Ghoul collapsed onto the floor and tried to catch his breath while staring at the ceiling of the bus. “I can’t do it anymore.” 

Cadence gave a nervous laugh as she walked closer, soon hovering over Earth. “I thought you had super strength!”

“Hey, look. I’ve been helping with carrying the gang’s heavy equipment for a long time now. Plus, I had to load almost my entire drum kit by myself. I’m beat.” Earth smiled again and closed his eyes. “Just give me a minute…”

A few seconds passed before the doors of the bus opened again, and Air soon stepped on board, carrying his keytar case under one arm. He stared at the bag of potting soil for a moment before meeting Earth’s eyes and smiled.

“Min kärlek, you look exhausted.” Chuckling, the tall Ghoul bent down and grabbed the bag. “I’ll get this for you.” Without saying another word, he picked the bag up with ease and tucked it under his other arm before bringing it over to where it was to be stored.

Still laying on the floor, Earth gave a breathy laugh and pointed at Air as he walked by. “And that’s why it helps to have a tall, strong boyfriend!” he exclaimed, smiling.

Immediately after Earth had finished speaking, a small cloud of black smoke materialized on top of the small table next to Cadence. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a small tabby kitten. She had a red bow tied to her black, belled collar.

“Earth and Air sitting in a tree. K-I-”

“Dahlia, I swear to Satan!” Earth bolted upright and glared at his familiar. “Enough with the song!”

Dahlia giggled and soon hopped off the table onto the couch. With one paw, she lightly tapped Liam’s tiny head, and immediately the two kittens were engaged in a game of tag. They scurried around the bus with glee, much to the dismay of their owners. Before Cadence and Earth could catch them, both kittens disappeared in puffs of black smoke. A loud crash outside followed by a yell indicated where the familiars had gone.

Earth groaned and smacked his forehead in frustration. “This is why we make you stay with Special!” he shouted, hurrying off the bus to help the poor assistant who had been unfortunately knocked down by the kittens. Air followed close behind. Cadence began her descent down the steps to join them, but was quickly stopped in her tracks by a certain red-headed Sister.

“Oh my gosh I can’t believe it!” Aspen practically ran Cadence over in her excitement as she hurried onto the bus. “It’s finally happened! It’s finally- Oh, sorry Cadence!”

The young acolyte laughed as she lay on the floor. “It’s okay!” Wincing slightly, she sat up, rubbing her shoulder. After a moment, she finally noticed Dianna walking towards the bus, carrying what appeared to be two brown, wooden briefcases. “What’s got her so excited?” Cadence asked, nodding her head in Aspen’s direction. The red-headed Sister of Sin was jumping up and down like a child who had just heard they were going to an amusement park.

Dianna chuckled as her smile widened. “You ask that like you’ve never seen her excited before.”

Cadence laughed with her as she stood up and moved out of the way to allow the Sister of Sin onto the bus. “Okay, what’s got her more excited than usual?” she asked.

Aspen clapped her hands enthusiastically, squealing in delight. “Papa’s given us the honor of distributing the Eucharist during Body and Blood for this ritual!”

Cadence’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, really?! That’s awesome!” Her face showed confusion after a couple seconds, however. “Wait...Papa told me people in the audience would be volunteering for that.”

“Not for every show.” Dianna placed the two briefcases in an overhead compartment before closing it and turning to look at Cadence. “Papa always chooses two Sisters from Meliora to distribute the Eucharist during the first ritual of every tour.”

“And this time he picked us!” Grinning from ear to ear, Aspen wrapped her arms around her fellow Sister of Sin, hugging tightly. “It’s the first time for us both!”

Now that things made sense, Cadence smile returned. “Wow, congrats!”

“Thanks!” Wincing slightly from Aspen’s tight embrace, Dianna gently untangled the redhead’s arms from around her. She then took a moment to readjust her glasses. “But I can’t believe you’re actually going to get to sing onstage with Papa!”

“For the whole tour!” Aspen added. “You’re lucky! You have no idea how many fans would kill to do that.”

Dianna gave a laugh. “Oh, they would kill to do a lot more than just that. They’d kill just to get within five feet of him.”

One of the assistants called for some help outside. After giving Cadence a quick hug, Aspen got off the bus to go help him, leaving the other two women alone. Cadence watched her go before turning to look at Dianna again and noticed that the tall Sister of Sin was pondering something. “Cadence, you’re going to be onstage for the entire ritual, right?” Dianna asked.

The young acolyte shrugged her shoulders. “Almost. They’re going to play about three or four songs and then they’re going to bring me in to sing with Papa for the rest of the time.”

Dianna nodded, staying silent for a few more seconds as she thought to herself. “...Has anyone told you what Papa’s going to do... before the last song? Before Monstrance Clock?”

Cadence’s smile disappeared and she shook her head. “No, what?”

“Well…” The Sister seemed to struggle to find the right words. “The thing is-”

“Good morning, ladies!”

Cadence turned upon hearing the accented voice and smiled as she saw Emeritus standing near the doors. She clasped her hands behind her back and began to rock back on her heels. “Buongiorno, Papa.”

Upon hearing Cadence speak in Italian, the dark pope’s eyes widened along with his smile. “Ghuleh, you remembered!” He strode over until he was standing beside the young acolyte. He gently placed a light kiss on her forehead before ruffling her hair. “I’m proud of you!”

A faint blush appeared on Cadence’s face from the praise. “Thanks…I’ve been practicing.”

“And aren’t you just looking simply lovely today, Dianna,” he remarked, turning to face the Sister of Sin. Gently, he took the tall woman’s hand in his and kissed it. “I do hope things have been going well for you?”

Cadence noticed the blush creeping across Dianna’s face as she stared down at her hand.

“I...w-well, it's-" The blushing increased as the Sister of Sin watched him step back and lean against the nearby table, adding a noticeable curve of his hip. She stared dumbfounded for a few seconds before tearing herself away from the sight, hoping the dark pope hadn't noticed her expression. “Y-yes, everything's been fine.”

Papa's grin widened. “Good, good. Wouldn't want anything to…” He placed a hand on his side and trailed it down over his hip as he stared the Sister in the eyes, smirking. “...distract you, now would we?”

Dianna’s eyes widened and she quickly turned away, hiding her face. “I-I'm gonna go see if Aspen needs any help…” As she started her exit, Cadence thought she heard the Sister of Sin mutter something along the lines of “Damn tease. Damn hips should be made illegal.”

A couple seconds of awkward silence passed between Cadence and Papa before the young acolyte hurried over to the fridge, taking out a large bottled water. She opened it and downed nearly half before speaking.

“What. The hell. Was that?!” she asked, a bright red blush forming on her face as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

Papa gave an amused laugh and slicked back his hair. “Charming people and getting them flustered is my specialty, Ghuleh. You know that from... experience.” He dared to add a wink at the end.

“That stuff you said earlier wasn't even directed at me, and yet-!” She turned away slightly, feeling her face grow even hotter. “You sure you're not an incubus?”  
Papa's smile lessened at the mention of the demon species and he shook his head. “No, Ghuleh, I've told you before that I'm not.”

“I'm just saying...You do seem to have that effect…”

“Trust me, if you knew what they were really like, you'd see I'm nothing like them.” The dark pope frowned and placed a hand over where the succubus had bitten him last night as he sat down. Quickly, though, his smile returned as he spread himself out on the couch. “I'm just good at what I do. And you are going to have to get used to me doing that kind of stuff more often than usual.”

Cadence blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”

Emeritus paused, taking a moment to carefully choose his words. “I...may have a few things in store for the audience that you might also enjoy.”  
Curious, Cadence sat down beside him and put the bottle down. “Like what?”

Papa's smile only widened as he turned to face her. “You'll find out.”

“C'mon, tell me!” Cadence giggled, wrapping her arms around the dark pope and bringing him close. “Please?”

“Patience, my dear,” he whispered. Gently, he cupped the side of her face with one hand and leaned in, closing his eyes when her lips were no more than an inch from his own. “Patience.”

***  
Cadence couldn't recall when exactly she had fallen asleep in Papa's arms, but before she knew it the dark pope was gently shaking her awake. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she gazed up at her love with a smile.

“Ghuleh,” he murmured. “We've arrived.”

“Already?” The young acolyte carefully sat up before taking a moment to stretch. “That was quick.”

“You slept the whole way here.” Smiling, Papa ruffled her hair for a bit, taking care to not mess it up too much before the show. “You sure you got a good sleep last night? I don't want you to be tired during your performance.”

Cadence's smile widened as she playfully batted his hand away. “I'm fine, Papa, honest.”

“You two lovebirds gonna keep gushing over each other or are you actually gonna help?”

Startled, Cadence looked towards the source of the voice and saw Alpha staring at them. Although the Ghoul's tone had been a little harsh, there was a smile on his face as he carried his guitar case down the bus steps.

“He's right, Ghuleh. We can't stay here if we are to be ready on time.” Carefully, Papa stood up and began to take a couple cases out of the overhead compartment. When he saw the two briefcases Dianna had put up there earlier, however, he stopped and turned to look behind him. “Dianna, do you need these to be taken down with the others?” he asked.

The Sister of Sin immediately shook her head. “No no, those can stay.”

Papa nodded understandingly and closed the compartment before descending down the bus steps. Cadence watched him go for a moment then got up to gather her own things, including the bag which held her costumes plus the makeup Mist had picked out for her. She was suddenly filled with excitement and adrenaline as she descended the stairs and stepped out into the open air. It was sunny, but there was also a multitude of clouds rolling in. Up ahead, Papa and the others were conversing with each other as they carried their own gear. The young acolyte hurried to catch up with her fellow bandmates.

She stopped in her tracks, however, upon noticing something rather out of place near her feet. Her joyful smile vanished as she stared. There, embedded in the concrete of the parking lot, was a large, red fissure, glowing so faintly that at first glance it wouldn’t even be noticed.

“...Guys?” Cadence attempted to get the others’ attention as she called out to them, but grew concerned as they all continued on their way, not hearing her. She tried again, calling them a little louder. “Guys!”

But neither Papa nor the any of the Ghouls turned to look at her. They seemed completely oblivious to her shouting as they made their way into the building where everything was to be set up. For only a moment, she was completely alone with her thoughts, staring at the red gash in silence.

The feeling of a hand gently resting on her shoulder suddenly made Cadence turn. Immediately, her lavender eyes met Aspen’s chartreuse ones. The two girls stared at each other without uttering a word for what felt like an eternity before the red-headed Sister of Sin suddenly turned her attention to the red gash near Cadence’s feet. She studied it for only a few seconds before meeting Cadence’s eyes once again. A serious expression remained on the dryad’s face, a clear contrast to her usual bubbly personality, before she turned and followed the others inside.

After taking a moment to comprehend what had just happened, Cadence closed her eyes and took a breath to calm down, remembering Papa’s words from the day before: “‘Our main focus right now is the tour.’”

And that is exactly what she intended to focus on.


	6. Ready to Stand

Cadence's eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. “Holy crap that's a lot of people…” she whispered.

Earth beamed underneath his mask as he stared with her. “I know! Isn't it awesome?!”

The young acolyte gave a nervous laugh as she turned away from the entrance to the stage, attempting to smile. There was still a bit more time before the ritual was supposed to start, but she was already feeling anxious. “Y-yeah, sure.” She fiddled with her black cape for a moment before meeting the Ghoul's eyes. “Is it always this full?”

“Ever since we won the Grammy, yeah!” Earth leaned against the wall and began to drum a beat on his leg with his drumsticks. “And hopefully they'll be even more with time!”

The young acolyte quietly exhaled. More? She wasn't even sure she could handle a crowd this size. She snuck another quick glance toward the stage entrance before excusing herself. As she walked, she wiped her sweaty hands on her clothes, her anxiety seeming to increase with every minute that passed. 

By the time Cadence finally made it to the dressing room, she was practically restless. She paced back and forth in the brightly-lit dwelling before forcing herself to sit down at the mirror.

“What if I mess up? What if I forget the words?” she asked herself. “What if I miss my cue?”

Her mind raced as she stared back at her reflection. At first glance, she didn't even recognize it as her own. It was like a stranger was staring back at her. She once again had her mask on, as well as an elegant outfit complete with the cape she had received on her birthnight. The entire ensemble was all black except for the edges of her sleeves, and her black gloves had the blood alchemy symbol embroidered on the backs in a deep crimson. Papa had informed her that she would be changing into her usual clerical outfit in the middle of the show. 

On top of all that, Mist had curled her hair slightly and done her makeup. Thick, black eyeliner surrounded her eyes accompanied by glittery, silver eyeshadow with faint hints of indigo near the corners. Her lips were coated in a purplish-black color, and a faint coat of blush dotted her cheeks.

“Well, don't you just look utterly gorgeous, my Ghuleh.”

Cadence didn't even bother to turn around as Papa stepped into the room, dress fully in papal regalia. She just continued to stare at herself in the mirror as if she hadn't heard him, too preoccupied with her thoughts.

“I'm glad Mist offered to do your makeup for you. You're going to look absolutely stunning onstage.”

The dark pope's smile disappeared when he finally noticed Cadence's distressed face. “Ghuleh, what's the matter?” Concerned, he gently placed a hand on her cheek.

Still staring at her reflection, Cadence adjusted her grucifix pendant for a moment. When she was done, she sighed. “What if I let you guys down?”

Emeritus blinked, feeling both surprised and confused. “What?”

“I-I'm scared, Papa. There's so many people out there.” She blinked rapidly, doing her best to hold back her tears as she turned to face him. “What if I mess everything up? What if I forget what I'm supposed to do? I'll ruin everything and they'll all hate me for it.”

“No, no Cadence.” Slowly, the dark pope knelt down so that he was at eye level with her. “Don't say that.”

“But-"

“Ghuleh, listen to me. I've helped you with your singing night after night for months. I know you're ready. They’re going to love you.” He gently placed a hand over hers. “And you want to know something? It doesn't matter if you mess up. You just hold your head high, laugh it off, and keep going like nothing happened!” He then paused for a moment, chuckling. “Believe it or not, I've messed up quite a lot during my three lifetimes.”

Cadence's eyebrows raised. “You?”

“Oh yes. I remember this one time I got ready to sing Majesty but completely blanked out on the first few lyrics.” His smile widened as he laughed again. “It certainly was embarrassing, but the performance was still a success because despite that mistake, I didn’t give up right then and there.” He tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. “And neither should you.”

With care, the dark pope helped the young acolyte to her feet. Smiling, he gently squeezed her hand before leaning forward a bit and kissing it. “You’ve got this, Cadence.”

Cadence stared up at Papa in silence for a few seconds before a smile finally curled her lips. Without warning, she reached out and hugged him tightly, feeling the robe’s soft fabric on her face. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I’m sorry I always get so worried.”

“Don’t fret, darling. I’ll help you learn to combat your fear. Things like that take time to undo.” He kissed her forehead for a moment then hesitated before pulling himself out of her embrace. “Now, the Ghouls and I have to go get ready. The ritual’s about to start. You remember when you’re supposed to enter?”

Immediately, Cadence nodded her head in response. Papa’s smile widened. “Good. I’ll see you then, Ghuleh. You’ll do fantastic.” He blew a kiss in her direction before disappearing out the door.

Minutes later, Cadence heard the haunting tune Masked Ball starting to play. She listened to the audience’s cheers as each Ghoul took their place onstage, growing louder with each member that entered. Before long, she heard the familiar sound of Papa’s voice as the audience’s cheers erupted in rapture:

“Good evening, Rochester!”

And just like that, Masked Ball switched to the lively tune of Square Hammer. Taking a breath to calm herself, Cadence closed her eyes and sat back down. She still had a bit of time before her big debut, so she took a moment to try and stay calm like Papa wanted her to. She focused on the sound of the instruments blending together to create one fantastic song, with Papa’s vocals fully completing it to create something she could only describe as magical. 

“Are you on the square?  
Are you on the level?  
Are you ready to swear right here, right now  
Before the devil  
That you're on the square  
That you're on the level  
That you're ready to stand right here, right now  
Right here, right now.”

Placing a hand on her grucifix pendant, she opened her eyes once more. It was in that moment that, deep down, Cadence realized that she truly was ready, and she had nothing to worry about.

Everything was going to be just fine.


	7. Debut

Pride. That is what Papa felt as the audience cheered for him and the Ghouls at the end of Con Clavi con Dio. The first four songs of the night had been flawless, and he couldn’t be more proud of his fellow acolytes.

Of all the things the dark pope had experienced during his three lifetimes, it was the cheers from the audience that he enjoyed the most. It made him feel alive and forget all the hardship and suffering everyone in his realm had endured over the years.

And now, he couldn’t wait to see the reactions of his supporters during what was about to occur. He smiled as the spotlight shone on him once again and the audience erupted in cheers before thanking them and motioning for them all to be quiet. 

“So, some of you may have heard some rumors floating around about our newest addition.”

An excited murmur resonated through the audience as some nodded their heads while others looked slightly confused and turned to others for clarification. This was to be expected, especially of new fans, who likely hadn’t heard any of Special’s recent interviews. Still, he continued.

“We took her under our wing recently and I have to say she’s grown up so much since then.” He turned to look at the Ghouls behind him. “Right?”

The five masked being all nodded their heads in response. Now the murmur in the audience was louder as the excitement and restlessness grew. Papa quickly returned his attention to the crowd.

“Now, she has been feeling a little bit nervous as this is her very first performance, so if you could all cheer for her to let her know she has nothing to fear…”

Almost immediately, Earth put his drumsticks down and began to applaud, encouraging the audience to do the same. They all quickly reciprocated, with some accompanying the clapping with shouts.

Papa smiled and nodded in approval. ‘You hear that, Ghuleh? They’re cheering for you,’ he asked silently, hoping that the sound did in fact reach Cadence’s ears. He then spoke again into the mic. “Very good! Now then, enough of me talking. Would you like to see her?!”

Once more, the audience cheered, and this time it seems to be the loudest of all.

“Alright!” With a wave of his hand, the Ghouls once again began to play, starting with Earth followed quickly by the others. The audience screamed in delight and recognition and clapped along to the lively beat. Emeritus smiled and waved his free hand like a conductor as he slowly walked around the stage, and soon began to sing:

“The devil's power is the greatest one  
When his and hers holiest shuns the sun.”

Slowly, the dark pope began to make his way to the opposite side of the stage, near Water. His eagerness grew as the moment came closer and closer with every drumbeat and guitar chord.

“A temptress smitten by the blackest force.  
A vicar bitten, blind in intercourse.”

He could see the audience growing anxious. They were yearning for what he had to show them.

“The witch hammer struck her down.  
On our Sabbath she's unbound!  
‘Tis the night of the witch!”

At that moment, he gestured towards the highest step at the center of the stage. The spotlight followed his movement, and what he saw couldn't have made him more proud. Cadence was there, standing tall with her long cape billowing behind her as smoke clouds swirled, steely eyes gazing out into the crowd. The audience stared at her in awe as she slowly descended the steps, her eyes focused and unwavering as if she were a predator stalking its prey. For a split second, Emeritus almost forgot to continue the refrain.

“‘Tis the night of the witch  
‘Tis the night of the witch tonight!  
And the vengeance is hers for as long as she stands by him.”

As Papa finished singing and Alpha’s guitar solo started, Cadence began her dance. She twirled and waved her arms in wide arcs as she moved around the stage. Alpha, Water, and Mist started to move around as well, and those who dared to get too close to the young acolyte reacted as if they were struck by invisible magic as Cadence waved an arm in their direction. She sent the two guitarists back first, then the bassist, before making her way to the edge of the stage. Papa kept his gaze locked on her as he circled from behind, and as the solo came to an end he crept up behind the girl. One gloved hand wrapped around her and grabbed her throat, and she tilted her head back as her small body was pressed against his. His lips mere inches from her ear, he brought the microphone close and growled:

“All witchcraft comes from a carnal lust, which is in women insatiable.”

He smirked when he felt the girl shiver against him. Clearly his actions were already having an effect on her. After the split second of silence, he then let her fall to her knees, casting her aside as if she were no more than a mere prisoner. She stood slowly, as if what Papa had done to her had left her in a momentary stupor. Suddenly, the three Ghouls began to close in on her, giving her no opportunity to escape before driving her back up the stairs she had descended earlier. She stopped upon reaching the top one.

“The moon shone bright above her trial.”

Facing the audience, she stuck out her arms as if she were suddenly bound and nailed to a cross. She reacted as if she were struggling against the bonds.

“...As flames ate through her body defiled!”

She threw her head back and shrieked, feigning complete agony as the fire from the pyrotechnics shot up around her. As soon as the flames died down she collapsed, and Papa made his way to the bottom of the stairs. Continuing to sing, he held a hand out towards her, beckoning her close. Slowly, she got up, cautiously moving towards him like a wild animal not knowing if it should trust a human offering it food. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity before the refrain suddenly started up again, and only then did Cadence finally take his hand.

“‘Tis the night of the witch  
‘Tis the night of the witch tonight!  
And the vengeance is hers for as long as she stands by him.”

He led her towards the center of the stage. Still holding hands, they walked in a circular formation and after a few moments he released his hold on her. Slowly, Cadence got down on one knee, keeping her gaze locked on him. Using the same hand that had just held hers a moment ago, Papa traced the grucifix symbol on her forehead before helping her back to her feet. The song was coming to an end by now. Immediately, she hurried towards the front of the stage, stopping once she got to the edge. As the last note of the song was played, the spotlight shone down on her, and she lifted her hand as if she were reaching for it. She stayed that way even as the short, momentary silence was replaced by the cheers from the crowd.

Papa smiled and clapped with them, feeling extremely proud of the young acolyte. ‘Very good, Ghuleh,” he muttered, beginning to move out of the audience's sight. ‘Now take it away. Show them what else you can do.’

Without warning, Cadence reached out and grabbed the microphone on the stand that had been set up for her. In that same moment, the first beat of the next song resonated in the air. She kept her cold gaze fixated on the audience as the Ghouls continued to play, giving the impression that she was malevolent and someone to be feared. There was something that Papa loved about theatrics - they could make any person seem like something they weren't.

Focusing her gaze on those in the front row, Cadence brought the mic close and began to sing:

“Unholy is the lust in your eyes. Blasphemous would not suffice.”

She took the mic off the stand and proceeded to strut around the stage, holding her head high. After a moment, she stopped, turning to face Mist. As if suddenly in a trance, the female Ghoul stepped closer as Cadence held a gloved hand out towards her, fingertips just barely touching the silver mask.

“Perverted are your wishes and dreams, tanning in Lucifer’s beams.”

She quickly drew her hand back before racing back up the steps once more. As she sang the refrain, the smoke billowed up around her again, her eyes scanning the crowd.

“Per aspera ad inferi.  
Per aspera ad inferi…”

As she sang, she momentarily thought back to when Papa had overheard her singing this very song in her apartment bedroom. That moment seemed like an eternity ago. Things had clearly changed a lot since then.

“All your dreams will come true…”

In a way, they definitely had. She had a new life now. She had uncovered answers about herself she didn’t even know she needed. But most importantly, she had found love. The young acolyte snuck a glance in Papa’s direction. Upon meeting her eyes, he smiled at her and nodded, his white eye seeming to stand out in the inky darkness of the shadows he was currently enveloped in. She smiled back, but quickly remembered to stay in character as she realized that Alpha’s solo was quickly coming to an end. Slowly, she got down onto one knee and removed the grucifix pendant from around her neck, holding it high so the audience could see it. She then bowed her head as if she were praying.

“Oh Satan, devour us all. Hear our desperate call…”

She put the pendant back on as she rose back to two feet. Quickly, she came down the stairs to rejoin the Ghouls on the lowest level. She hurried back to the edge of the stage, putting the mic back on the stand. Closing her eyes, she extended a hand outward as if to bewitch the audience, and belted out the last few simple, yet memorable lyrics over and over:

“Per aspera ad inferi.  
Per aspera ad inferi…”

She kept her eyes closed moments after the song ended, holding her breath as she awaited the audience's response. The young acolyte didn't have to wait long, however, as she was met with loud applause and cheers almost immediately. The noise stunned her; she almost couldn't believe they were actually cheering for her, wordlessly praising her performance.

“Give it up for Cadence, everyone!” Papa exclaimed, returning to the stage. The audience's cheers grew louder. The sound of it put a smile on Cadence's face, and she quickly took a bow.

It was then that Papa put his arm around her, pulling her close. Her smile widened as she turned to gaze up at him, meeting his mismatched eyes. He looked like he wanted to kiss her in that moment, but it was then that the young acolyte noticed something else. Looking over the dark pope's shoulder, she spotted a small group of people in the first few rows with looks of disapproval on their faces. They frowned and whispered to each other, occasionally glancing in her direction. They also looked over at Water as well.

Cadence's smile disappeared. What were they whispering about?

Papa seemed to have noticed Cadence's worried expression, for he quickly turned her away from the sight. It was something she didn't deserve to witness during her first performance.

Although his face didn't show it, their looks bothered Papa as well. Unlike Cadence, he knew what it was they were upset about. He quickly glanced in Water's direction.

The audience had been hoping that Omega would be here tonight.

And, for a brief moment, the dark pope wished that he was here too, standing with the rest of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only put most of the lyrics in because I didn't want to be typing the same words over and over. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. Please let me know what you think I love comments. They mean so much to me.
> 
> Next chapter will have a happier ending, I promise.


	8. Blatant Antics

“Why didn't you tell me you could sing that good?!”

Cadence winced as she was suddenly caught in Aspen’s tight embrace. The young acolyte had been on her way to the dressing room to change into her other costume for the second act when the red-haired Sister of Sin had practically tackled her out of nowhere from behind.

“You sound just like my sister Willow!” The dryad then gasped as an idea suddenly came to her. “You two should totally do a duet together! If I ever find a way to get back to my home realm I can bring you with me!” She giggled and hugged Cadence tighter. “You'll love it there! It's got giant flower fields, clear streams, perfect weather year-round and...and-"

“Aspen, I love the idea, but I have to go!” Smiling, Cadence untangled herself from Aspen's grasp. “I need to change into my other costume for the next song! I can't be late!”

Grinning, Aspen clasped her hands behind her back. “Okie dokie then! Break a leg!” She then began to skip her way down the hall, giggling with happiness and humming a tune to herself as she rounded the corner. 

With a sigh, Cadence made her way to the dressing room entrance, already beginning to remove a few articles. She took off her gloves first then proceeded to untie her black cape before opening the door.

“But not literally! That would be bad.”

Cadence turned her head to look down the hallway. “Aspen!” Still smiling, she motioned for the dryad peering at her from around the corner to go. The redhead giggled again and waved before disappearing down the hall once more.

Not wanting to deal with anymore sudden interruptions, the young acolyte stepped into the room and quickly closed the door behind her. She carefully placed the clothes she had already removed in their respective places before making her way over to where her second outfit was hanging up. She changed into it with ease, as she had worn her usual black and red clerical outfit for months now. After putting her hood up and ensuring that her mask was still resting on her face correctly, she exited, hoping that there was still enough time.

Papa was leaning against the wall waiting for her as she stepped back outside. He was now dressed in the elegant black suit Cadence was used to seeing him in.   
“I was getting worried for a second, Ghuleh. Fortunately you're right on time.” Smiling, he stepped away from the wall and carefully draped an arm over her. “Ready for the second half?”

Cadence nodded her head, more confidently than she had before the start of the ritual. “Yep!”

The dark pope grinned as they started to walk back to the stage and he placed a light kiss on her forehead. The sound of the Ghouls softly strumming their guitars grew louder as they took their places at where they were supposed to enter. When the guitars finally were accompanied by Earth’s drumming, the two of them parted ways as Papa ascended the steps, the crowd once again erupting into cheers at the sight of him. Cadence smiled and tapped her foot along to the beat, waiting for the moment she was to enter as she listened to Papa sing.

“I feel your presence amongst us. You cannot hide in the darkness.  
Can you hear the rumble? Can you hear the rumble that’s calling?”

That was her cue. Excitement rushed through Cadence as she ascended the backstage steps. Before she knew it, the spotlights were shining on her once more. The young acolyte quickly lowered her hood so the audience could see her face before bringing her microphone close to sing.

“I know your soul is not tainted, even though you’ve been told so.”

Many of the audience members cheered as she quickly began to descend, causing the young acolyte to smile as she glanced over at Papa for only a second. By the time the two of them started to sing the refrain together, the dark pope was standing close to the center at the mic stand, while Cadence was standing a short distance away, towards Alpha’s side. The young acolyte closed her eyes as the chorus began, focusing on the deep, beautiful lyrics.

“Can you hear the rumble that’s calling?  
I can feel the thunder that’s breaking in your heart.   
I can see through the scars that’s inside you.  
I can feel the thunder that’s breaking in your heart.   
I can see through the scars that’s inside you…”

 

Cadence’s smile widened as she lowered her microphone, sighing quietly before opening her eyes. She loved this song, and it seemed that the crowd enjoyed it just as much as she did. The melody was alluring while accompanied by lyrics both kind and comforting. It was a tune that never failed to keep her relaxed.

That calm feeling, however, vanished almost immediately when she looked over at Papa again. Her eyes widened at the sight which lay before her. Papa still had his face close to the mic, but he wasn’t singing. Instead, he had his eyes closed, his gloved hands trailing up and down the stand as if he were caressing and kissing someone. The women in the audience were going nuts as they watched him, clearly enjoying his antics.

The young acolyte couldn’t tear her eyes away. All of a sudden she couldn’t hear the music or see the Ghouls and the crowd anymore. She just stood there, dumbfounded. 

Cadence could almost feel the softness of his painted lips against hers, as if she could taste him like she had so many times before despite being so far away. It stole her breath. She felt his gloved hands caressing her face, the feel of the fabric teasing her when she wished for the touch of his skin. His middle and index fingers suddenly ghosted up and down her spine, the sensation making her shiver. She heard him whispering softly in her ear, about how much he loved her and how much he wanted her. His hand trailed lower and lower until two fingers curled upwards between her legs, and after a couple seconds he brought them back up, savoring the smell and taste of her essence… Then he stepped away from the mic stand, maintaining his usual confident posture.

She blinked, and in an instant she became aware of the music and the cheers of the crowd again.

What

The hell

Just happened?!

Had... had Papa just teased her by pretending to be intimate with the freaking mic stand?!

Closing her eyes, the young acolyte took a breath in an attempt to calm herself as she turned away. She could feel how hot her face was. ‘Focus on the performance. Focus on the performance,’ she told herself. She was so lucky Papa hadn't done that when they had been singing. She would've definitely missed her next cue.  
Fortunately, she had a little time to recover, as it was Papa's turn to sing next.

“A candle casting a faint glow. You and I see eye to eye…”

Cadence suddenly felt her face grow hot when the dark pope turned to look at her and smirked. He was smirking at her! He knew she had noticed him doing that! The young acolyte blushed and turned away slightly, trying her best to focus on what she was supposed to be doing onstage. Unfortunately for her, that meant having to maintain eye contact with Emeritus and coming closer. His smile seemed to widen a bit as she did so. ‘Damn him and his teasing…’ she thought to herself.

Staring into his mismatched eyes, she raised and hand and gently pressed it against his. All the while, Papa continued to sing.

“Now there is nothing between us, for now our merge is eternal...”

His fingers entwined with hers as the spotlight suddenly shone down, bathing only the two of them in light as he pulled her closer. In the short, split-second moment of silence that passed between them, Cadence felt him squeeze her hand ever-so-gently. The look in his eyes was one of longing, yearning, but not entirely in a sexual way. Yes, she could see the hunger was certainly there, but it seemed to be momentarily overshadowed by adoration. Mesmerized, she brought her microphone close and joined him in the next two lines.

“Can’t you see that you’re lost? Can’t you see that you’re lost without me?”

They released their hold on each other and quickly turned to face the people in the audience, who were joyously singing and clapping along with them. For a moment, Cadence almost forgot about what she had witnessed earlier, but every time she looked over at Papa and noticed a slight movement of his gloved hands, be it a single finger, two fingers, or his whole hand, she couldn’t help but recall what he had done at the mic stand. It was distracting, and he seemed to be reveling in her reactions as apparent by the reoccurring smirk on his face.

She suddenly recalled what the dark pope had told her on the tour bus earlier that morning: “‘I may have a few things in store for the audience that you might also enjoy.’”

That’s what he had meant?! Blatant sexual actions onstage?!

Well, he hadn’t been wrong. The audience had clearly enjoyed the spectacle and, admittedly, the sight had caused her to feel a little hot and bothered (as he clearly noticed).

As the song slowly came to an end, the young acolyte prayed that if Papa had any more actions like that in store for the night, things would become much easier for her to deal with.


	9. Desires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a new chapter! I'm sorry this one took so long. I've had a really busy summer. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

Things did not become easier to deal with. At all.

By the time the song ‘Ritual’ came to an end, Cadence was sure she could fry an egg on her skin with how hot her face felt from the constant blushing. She was also pretty sure her face resembled a bright red tomato by now too. And it was all Papa's fault.

He hadn't stopped with pretending to kiss the mic stand during ‘Cirice’. In the middle of ‘Year Zero’ he'd run his hands over his chest as he sang, face contorted in faux pleasure. The sight made Cadence wish she was the one touching him, giving him the satisfaction he clearly desired. On top of that, the dark pope had been so bold as to start doing hip thrusts throughout nearly the entirety of ‘Mummy Dust.’ That one really had the young acolyte blushing, and it hadn’t helped that Papa had noticed her reactions through it all.

Good thing she still had some water left in her water bottle. Leaning against the wall as she waited near the side stage entrance, she sighed and took a sip, a brief sense of relief rushing through her as soon as the cool liquid hit her tongue. As soon as this ritual was over, Cadence was going to make Papa explain himself whether he wanted to or not.

The Ghouls, meanwhile, were talking amongst themselves, although Air was not with them at the moment. After a brief chat, they gave each other fist bumps before parting, waiting for their cue to enter for the final song.

“It’s just Monstrance Clock and then we’re done, right?” Cadence asked as Earth came over and stood beside her.

The small Ghoul nodded his head in reply. “Yep! Hey, awesome job by the way. You’re singing is incredible!”

“Thanks.”

It was then that Cadence suddenly remembered what Dianna had tried to tell her on the bus that morning. Papa had something he planned to do right before Monstrance Clock.

Suddenly curious, the young acolyte peered around the entryway. Emeritus was currently talking with the audience, asking how many in the crowd had attended a previous ritual. A significant amount of people cheered and raised their hands proudly. He then asked how many had never done so, and Cadence watched as an even larger portion of the crowd cheered in response. She began to listen more intently to what he was saying, wondering just what it was the dark pope had prepared.

“Excellent, excellent! We’re all so glad you could come tonight.” Papa’s smile widened as the crowd continued to cheer for them. “But before we play our last song, there’s a little something I think needs to be explained to all the newcomers here.” The dark pope suddenly turned his head, and it took Cadence a moment to realize that he was looking directly at her.

“Cadence, could you come join me out here for a bit?”

The young acolyte blinked, confused. He wanted her onstage again? She turned to look at the Ghouls, and all of them immediately nodded their heads, eagerly urging her to go. As she walked, Cadence thought she noticed Water whisper something to Alpha, and the two Ghouls soon snickered.

Papa smiled at Cadence as she stepped onstage. Quickly, he gestured towards her with the hand that wasn’t holding the microphone and turned back towards the audience. “Once again, give it up for Cadence, everyone!”

The crowd immediately obeyed, and their cheers brought a smile to Cadence’s face. She quickly gave a bow to them as thanks. As she returned to an upright position, she noticed Papa making his way towards one of the amps near the edge of the stage. He met her gaze and patted the top of it twice, motioning for her to sit down. She immediately obeyed, taking her seat as the dark pope made his way over to a similar amp a small distance away.

“Now, Cadence, listen.” Emeritus used his free hand to steady himself as he sat down. “See, a lot of these people who have seen us before think they’re so smart. They already know what’s gonna happen.”

Some of the people in the audience cheered, accompanied by a couple eager fans screaming “Monstrance Clock!” Their enthusiasm made Cadence giggle.

“Some might say it could be a bit boring or predictable.”

That statement was quickly followed up by shouts of denial from many people. Emeritus waited until they were quiet again before continuing, and Cadence eagerly awaited what else he had to say as he turned his head to look at her.

“But in reality, you just need to think of it like I and some of these other folks do.” The dark pope then paused, possibly for a bit of dramatic effect. The audience shared Cadence’s avidness as they awaited the big revelation.

“Just think of it like an orgasm!”

Cadence's smile immediately disappeared as cheers erupted from the crowd once again, mostly from the women in the audience. An...orgasm?

Her eyes suddenly widened. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Not more of this! She couldn't take anymore teasing. Struggling to keep herself composed, she took a deep breath before continuing to listen.

“I mean we've all been through quite a lot in this hour and a half, have we not?” he murmured, almost purring into the microphone. “Singing, throwing kisses…” He paused, then shifted his body so that there was a rather noticeable, sensual movement of his hips. “Dancing...slowly… We might as well be fucking right this very second.”

The young acolyte cursed under her breath, feeling her cheeks flare up again as she watched Papa's body move. Although the movements were subtle, they were enough to cause Cadence to start mentally undressing the dark pope. Not wanting him to notice her expression, she turned away slightly and opened her water bottle to take a sip. The coolness of the water helped as soon as it hit her tongue, but only for a brief moment.

”Doesn’t a good fucking sound great right about now? After all, it is a Friday night.” She caught the sight of a smirk on his face as he glanced in her direction for only a second. “The perfect happy ending to a long night and a fine start to the weekend. Wouldn't you agree?”

Cadence nibbled her lower lip as the crowd once again erupted into cheers. She was growing restless, both from embarrassment and arousal. The young acolyte had half a mind to go over to Emeritus right this second and kiss him full on the lips just to shut him up. But she couldn't bring herself to get up from her seat. Another part of her wanted to keep listening.

It was quite obvious that Papa was just absolutely reveling in everyone's reactions, evident by the wide smile on his face as he began to go into a lengthy explanation of the birds and the bees. The sight of it made her frustrated. He clearly must've known she was suffering right now. Why was he doing this?! The young acolyte shifted in her seat, suddenly finding herself unable to keep still. She couldn't keep this up for much longer, and yet she wished to hang onto every word he spoke…

And then, it was all over. Before Cadence knew it, Emeritus was finally finished with his speech and the entire band started to play Monstrance Clock. The young acolyte did her best to sing, but her mind was currently elsewhere. It conjured up sinful thoughts. She pictured the dark pope cornering her in the dressing room after the performance, convincing her to give in to her desires in a low, raspy voice as his gloved hands trailed over her body, threatening to rip her costume to shreds just so he could have access to her skin - her burning body, which yearned for his touch. She was craving him, and the hand he gently placed on her back as everyone took their bows did little to help the situation.

Her entire being felt hot in the clerical costume as she stared back at herself in the mirror of the dressing room, mask off with sweat and makeup running down her pale face. The young acolyte's breaths came out in heavy pants as she wiped the mess away. She felt as if she were on fire, and the flames were gathering along the back of her neck and between her legs, steadily growing more intense. A plethora of emotions raced through her head as she stared into her own eyes: confusion, shock, frustration. It was all so overwhelming.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and brought her hands to her face, slowly trailing them down to her neck and soon lower still to her chest. The young acolyte imagined the touch to be Papa's. Soft, barely audible whimpers escaped past her slightly parted lips as the hands squeezed and fondled her small breasts through her clothes.

“Papa…” She whispered her lover's name in a voice clearly hinting of yearning. Slowly, one hand left her chest and trailed even lower to the button of her pants. Shaking, she undid it in a matter of seconds and soon slipped her hand inside, fingertips quickly coming into contact with the fabric of her underwear. A sound that was somewhere between a moan and a sigh left her upon feeling how incredibly wet she already was. Rubbing herself through her panties, she imagined what the dark pope would say about her current state had he been the one doing this to her instead right now. She bit her lower lip as her other hand slipped past and gently trailed along her folds…

“Oh my. I do hope I'm not interrupting anything.”

Cadence gasped loudly upon hearing the voice, quickly removing her hands as she turned. The young acolyte had been so preoccupied that she hadn’t even heard the door open. Her lavender eyes widened upon seeing who had entered.

Papa was currently leaning against the door frame, that same damn smirk present on his face once more as she stared back at him.


	10. Giving In

Cadence hurriedly backed away as Emeritus entered, suddenly cowering underneath his mismatched stare and devious smile. Panicked thoughts raced through her head. How much had he seen?!

“Ghuleh…” Papa slowly closed the door behind him, ensuring to lock it before proceeding forward. His gloved hands were clasped behind his back. “Would you care to tell me what you were doing just now?”

The young acolyte took more steps back as Papa came closer, but quickly found herself back against the table. Before she could get anywhere, the dark pope had closed in on her like a lethal predator, face mere inches from her. “I-it was...n-nothing…” she replied, beginning to blush again.

Emeritus hummed in thought for a second as he tilted his head slightly, continuing to observe her flustered expression. He didn’t appear to believe her, yet a smile remained on his painted face. “It certainly didn't seem like nothing,” he remarked, gently taking hold of her right wrist. Closing his eyes, he began planting kisses all over the back of her hand, his lips slowly moving closer and closer to her fingertips with each one.

Cadence's eyes widened as she watched. “I-it really wasn't!”

“Oh?” The dark pope raised his head just slightly to peer up at her from behind his black bangs. Slowly, he brought her fingertips close to his face, and his eyes once again fluttered closed as he inhaled deeply. “Then why, pray tell, is there such a delicious smell here on your fingers?” A laugh rumbled deeply in his throat as his smile widened. Without warning, he wrapped his lips around her middle and index fingers. He moaned softly as he took his time licking and sucking them clean, savoring the lingering taste. He then moved to the other digits on the same hand, hoping for more.

The burning feeling returned as Cadence watched, only soft breaths escaping past her parted lips. She felt as if she were in a trance as she watched him.

The dark pope gave one last lick to the tip of her thumb before pulling back with a sigh, contentment present on his face as he brushed a few sweaty strands of his hair out of the way. “Ahh, Ghuleh. You taste amazing as always…” he whispered.

His words suddenly snapped Cadence out of her daze and she quickly pulled her hand away, blushing. “P-Papa you-...Why?”

Papa's smile lessened slightly in confusion. “Why what, darling?”

The young acolyte hastily turned away, still holding the hand he had kissed earlier. “W-why did you do all of that? The gestures, the hip thrusts, the speech. I don't understand.”

Gently, Emeritus placed his gloved hands on her shoulders. “Don't you remember what I said this morning? They were for the audience. You saw how much the people loved what I was doing.”

Cadence gave a quiet laugh. “Y-yeah, especially the other women.”

The dark pope pulled her a little closer, barely pressing his chest against her back. “...Are you saying you didn't like them?” he murmured.

“N-no no! I liked them a lot, I just…” She paused, taking a breath as she carefully chose her words. “It just wasn't what I expected. W-when I saw what you were doing to the mic stand, I couldn't help but want to be in its place…”

At her words, Papa's mismatched eyes lit up, and the smirk suddenly returned to his face. It was noticeably smug.

“Oh, is that what this is all about?” His hands suddenly trailed down to Cadence’s hips and rested there. “You're jealous of a mic stand.”

“O-okay, let's not phrase it like tha-"

“Darling.” One of Emeritus’ hands left her side and held her chin to keep her head in place. He was rolling his r’s as he spoke. “If you want me, all you have to do is say so.” He suddenly leaned forward, pressing his lips to her ear. “I'll treat you better than that mic. Far better.”

Cadence shivered from the sound of his voice and the words he spoke to her. She wondered what exactly Papa would do to her if she said yes. The young acolyte could see their reflection in the mirror across from them, and the sight of herself in this vulnerable state filled her with a sudden anticipation. Shutting her eyes, she tilted her head back ever so slightly. ”Do it…” she whispered in a pleading tone.

Papa’s thumb caressed her lower lip. “You want me?”

“Yes...!” She turned her head to look behind her and quickly met Emeritus’ green and white eyes, which clearly showed how much he longed for her. “Please just do it, Papa. I can’t take it anymore. I...I need you.”

“Of course, my love.” Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he took the fabric of his glove between his teeth and slowly tugged it off, the other glove immediately following suit and dropping to the floor. His fingers wove themselves into her soft, dark brown locks as he held her gaze. “Anything for you.” 

The moment their lips touched, all worries and cares immediately melted away. The only thought which lingered in Cadence’s mind was how much she wanted Emeritus to take complete control of the situation and fuck her into absolute madness. Desire had completely taken over by now.

With one hand she reached up behind her, and her fingers tangled themselves in his raven black hair as the kiss deepened. She moaned into his mouth and gripped tighter as his tongue slid along hers. The smell of the ritual smoke still lingered on him, and it was almost intoxicating. Her body leaned into his as she felt one hand leave her hair and trail up underneath her shirt to cup a breast. When the two of them pulled away from each other, the dark pope stared down at her with a half-lidded gaze.

“...Good?” he whispered, a little bit breathless. He gave her breast a quick squeeze.

“Yes…” She clung to him desperately as his hand slowly roamed over her skin, craving his touch as if she had an insatiable hunger for it. “Oh Papa, please don't stop.”  
“And leave you unsatisfied?” His hand trailed lower to her stomach. “I can't even fathom the thought, Ghuleh.”

Cadence sucked in a breath through gritted teeth as she felt his nails drag along her skin, the sensation providing just enough stinging pain to still be pleasurable. It was his newest discovery of the things she liked.

“Tell me, my little acolyte.” Emeritus’ voice broke the brief silence after a few seconds, and he purred as he spoke. “When you saw what I was doing to that mic stand, did you imagine our post-ritual encounter to end up just like this?”

“Y-yes!” Cadence tilted her head back and moaned as he dug his nails into her a second time, simultaneously kissing her behind the ear with a gentleness that contrasted the rough, sharp movements of his hands. She bit her lower lip as she felt his erection pressing against her through his pants.

“And…” He paused, his hand gently caressing the areas of skin covered in red scratch marks before moving further down, trailing along her wet folds.. “...did you want me to fuck you? Did watching me thrust my hips make you desire my cock?”

Cadence watched his face in the mirror. She could see the desire in his mismatched eyes. “Yes! Yes!”

“You want me to fuck you?”

“Yes…!”

The movement of his hand quickened, the digits quickly becoming drenched with even more wetness. “Right now?”

“Please!” Cadence was nearly screaming from the torturous teasing at this point. “Please just do it right now…I need you.”

The dark pope removed his hand and stared at his fingers for a moment, observing how they shimmered with Cadence's arousal. Slowly, he brought them to his mouth and took his time sucking them clean, humming in thought as he did so.

“...No.”

His response caught Cadence completely off guard. “W...what?” He refused? What in the black pits of hell was going on?

“No, darling, not yet.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around so she was facing him. “I had far too much fun teasing you onstage tonight. I think I'll tease you a little bit more before giving you what you want.”

Cadence opened her mouth to object, but only a yelp of surprise left her as she was soon pinned against the closest wall. Before she could even say another word, Emeritus had completely pressed himself against her, kissing her feverently with occasional nips of his teeth. The young acolyte practically melted in his tight embrace as she allowed him complete control, loving how quickly he could make her come undone. By the time he pulled away, they were both panting for breath.

“How long...do you plan to keep this up?” she asked, sighing as he kissed and sucked the flesh of her neck. No doubt there would be bruises there later.

“Until I’ve worshiped every last inch of your body to my liking, Ghuleh.” Papa’s hands proceeded to undo each button on her shirt before carefully sliding it off her shoulders. “After all, you need a proper reward for your splendid performance.” He grinned, eyes roaming over her body as he exposed more and more of her pale skin: unhooking her bra, pulling down her pants, and removing her underwear until she was standing before the dark pope completely naked. He, however, had yet to remove anything other than his gloves.  
Cadence gasped as he brought his mouth to her breasts. A growl rumbled in his throat as one of her hands tangled in his raven locks, and he quickly bit down on the hardened nipple. The sensation made her toes curl, and as he moved to give the other breast an equal amount of attention she moaned his name breathlessly. Had the dark pope not been pressing her up against the wall, she surely would've fallen over.

“You know, Cadence…” His lips trailed back up her neck as he whispered to her, ghosting along the trail of hickeys he had left moments ago. “...during that last song, all I could think about was doing this to you.”

The young acolyte was in a heated daze, unable to talk. All she could do was cling to Emeritus as his hips began rolling into hers over and over.

“It's a wonder I was even able to control myself,” he groaned, lips pressed to her ear. “If I had not, I likely would've fucked you right there in front of the entire crowd…”  
If Cadence had anything to say at that moment, it was quickly swallowed up as Papa once again kissed her hard. His nails dug into her skin as he gripped her tightly, as if she were a prized possession he refused to give up. 

By the time he finally pulled away, they were both panting again. The dark pope's gaze lingered on Cadence's face before trailing lower to admire his handiwork so far. “Gorgeous…” he whispered, gently rubbing her shoulders with his thumbs in small circles. “You're practically stunning.”

The young acolyte watched as his eyes traveled even farther down, soon settling on one area in particular. She immediately knew where he was looking, and the thought alone made her face flush in arousal.

Papa's eyes narrowed as he continued staring, and before long his grip on her tightened once again. “Fuck, I can't take it anymore,” he growled. 

He dropped to his knees, placing a hand on the back of her thigh before slowly trailing it down to her calf while simultaneously lifting her leg off the ground. Upon eyeing her wet folds, he smiled and moistened his lips with his tongue before bringing them close to place a light kiss on her clit. Immediately, Cadence's hips bucked forward from the teasing sensation, and he grinned before moving back in, licking and sucking that area with the intent of making her scream with pleasure. Hearing her pleased cries filled him with both pride and satisfaction.

“How is it, Ghuleh? Am I making you feel good?” he asked, briefly pulling away only just enough to talk. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he slowly slid one finger in.

“Yes!” She bit down on her knuckle and moaned as he quickly went back to work, her other hand diving back into Papa's hair. She could feel her orgasm building with each stroke. “P-Papa…”

The dark pope hummed in response, staring up at her through half-lidded eyes as his tongue circled her clit over and over, his finger moving in and out at the same torturous pace. 

The sensations made her barely able to get her next words out. “S-scopami forte!”

Upon hearing those words, Papa stopped abruptly and pulled back, staring up at her with a surprised expression. He blinked a few times, as if to comprehend what had just happened, before shutting his eyes. He shivered momentarily before meeting her gaze again and smiled, raising an eyebrow at her. “I don’t recall teaching you that phrase.”  
Cadence gave a soft laugh and smiled back. “I learned it on my own. Thought you would like it.”

A grin spread across the dark pope’s face as he rose to his feet, staring down at her. “Oh, I do,” he growled. “Very much. It’s practically driving me wild.” He cupped her face with one hand and caressed her lower lip with his thumb. “And since you asked so nicely, I think I’ll do as you wish.”

He held her gaze, staring longingly into his love's lavender irises as she wrapped her lips around his finger. She looked so beautiful. Even though the two of them had done this countless times by now, every moment the dark pope got to see his lover completely undressed before him seemed to leave him breathless.

Slowly, he took hold of her hand and brought it to his belt. The girl fumbled a little as she undid the fastenings one by one. When the zipper was finally pulled down and the article of clothing fell to the ground, her eyes widened and she gasped as his erect cock was fully exposed to her. “Y-you’re not wearing-"

Papa laughed upon seeing her reaction to him going commando, amusement clearly visible in his eyes. It was her first time seeing him do this, and he found her reaction to be quite entertaining. “Why would I make it more difficult for us both to get what we want?” Carefully, Emeritus held her hips and lifted her a few inches off the floor as he lined himself up at her entrance, pressing her against the wall for further support. His lips gently nuzzled against her neck before he kissed her just below her jawline. “You ready, Ghuleh?” he whispered.

Wordlessly, she nodded with noticeable eagerness, and no more than a few seconds passed before the dark pope finally did as she wished. They both moaned as Papa slid into her, and he barely gave the young acolyte a moment to adjust before thrusting into her at a fast pace.

“P-Papa!” Cadence threw her head back against the wall and moaned through gritted teeth, clinging to her lover as he thrusted into her over and over. She absolutely loved what was happening, but didn’t want to risk being too loud. The thought of being discovered was way too embarrassing.

The young acolyte yelped loudly in surprise when she felt one of his hands smack her ass. Realizing how audible her cry had been, she cover her mouth as she glanced towards the dressing room door with wide eyes, fearing that someone outside would overhear.

“No, Ghuleh no.” Emeritus quickly tore her hand away and turned her head so that she was facing him again. “Let me hear you,” he grunted.

“B-but the Ghouls- Aaahhh!”

“Let them listen. Hell, let this whole damn place hear you.” His grip on her tightened as he pressed his forehead against her shoulder, moving his hips at an incredibly fast pace. “Let them all hear how good I'm making you feel.”

Her nails pressed into his skin through the fabric of his suit as she gripped tighter and quickly obeyed in a matter of seconds. She didn’t hold any sound back, no matter how loud, lewd, or ridiculous it seemed. Before long, she was practically screaming his name.

“Much better.” Pleased, Emeritus reached down and placed two fingers on her engorged clit, rubbing it as fast as his hips were moving. His breath felt hot as he placed his lips to Cadence’s ear once more. “I can feel it. You’re close, aren’t you Ghuleh? Can you be a good girl and wait for your Papa?”

He was right. She was close - so very close. She wasn’t sure if she could manage to wait, but she would try, for him. “Y-yes, Papa yes! I can be good!”

The dark pope growled again in response, satisfied with her reply. He kissed her deeply again, his tongue sliding along hers as she whimpered into his mouth from the sudden loss of his fingers on her clit.

“You're such a sinful girl, Cadence. And so needy too.” He groaned as he dragged his nails down her back with one hand, feeling himself getting close as well. “I love it.”  
She hissed from the sharp stings and threw her head back against the wall again, ignoring the dull pain it brought to the back of her skull. “Papa, please!”  
Emeritus smirked and soon slowed his thrusts, making her wail the longer he drew this out. “Please what, Cadence? You must tell me what you need.”

“Please make me come, Papa! Please!” The young acolyte tugged desperately at his suit jacket. The coil inside her was wound so tightly it threatened to snap any second. “I can’t take it anymore!”

“There’s a good girl. Ask nicely and you shall receive.” He held her close as he sped up his movements once more, relishing in her cries. 

“I love you! I love you!” Cadence soon arched her back and screamed, trembling as her climax hit hard, and Papa quickly followed soon after, howling her name in pleasure. He remained inside her even as they both finished coming back down from their highs, and when she finally opened her eyes to look up at him he smiled and brushed a few sweaty strands of hair out of her face.

“You alright, Ghuleh?” Papa asked, gently caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. Worry flashed in his mismatched eyes for a split second. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” The dark pope knew he had been a bit rougher than usual this time and wanted to make sure his love was okay.

Still panting for breath, Cadence smiled back, her hands still gripping the fabric of Emeritus’ suit jacket tightly. “Y-yeah, I’m okay, just…” She exhaled loudly from exhaustion and gave a laugh. “That was so good…”

Emeritus sighed in relief, his smile widening at her response. Slowly, he leaned forward, placing a soft, light kiss on her forehead. “Alright, I’m going to help you down now, okay? Easy now. Hold onto me.” Carefully, he pulled out of her and brought her feet back to the ground. Her legs trembled as she attempted to stand, and the young acolyte emitted a soft cry as they quickly gave out from under her, only for Emeritus to catch her in his tight embrace. There was silence between the two of them as he held her, allowing his love to catch her breath as she rested her head against his chest.

“You know…” he murmured, one hand gently petting the back of her head. “We can keep doing this after the other rituals, if you want.”

Cadence’s head immediately perked up upon hearing that, and her smile widened. “Really?!”

“Of course, darling. Why would I stop you from indulging in this sort of thing just because we’re on tour?” Papa gave a soft laugh before placing a tender kiss on her lips. A part of him wanted this night to last forever. He hesitated before pulling away from his lover with a sigh. “I love you…”

Cadence hugged him tighter, not wanting to let him go or leave the room to face the crowd of fans they knew were waiting for them outside the venue. Silently, she thought back to one of the phrases Papa had taught her to say in Italian, and she soon whispered it to him. “...Ti amo anch’io.” I love you too.

A shiver ran through Emeritus’ body again upon hearing her speak the foreign language, and he held her tighter against him. “When you say that…” The dark pope didn’t get to finish his sentence, for he quickly stopped himself and slammed his lips into hers, kissing her passionately. His hands tangled in her hair as his tongue slid along hers, and by the time he pulled away he was panting for breath. “I’m sorry, Ghuleh. There’s just one last thing I want to do…”

Carefully, the dark pope got down onto his knees and lifted up one of her legs again. He nuzzled his face against her crotch, where he could taste their essences mingling together.

Needless to say, it did not take long for Cadence to come a second time.


	11. Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy to say I've finished this chapter!
> 
> Also please keep in mind that this takes place at a bar and I've never had a drop of alcohol in my life. I've tried to make this as accurate as possible. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoy!

“You know, I can’t recall the last time I was at a bar.” Cadence glanced around the large, crowded room which buzzed with activity on all sides as she sat with some of the Ghouls at a table towards the back, waiting for Air and Papa to return with drinks. They had all changed out of their costumes and were currently dressed in more casual clothes.

Water smiled at her remark and gave a laugh.

“Oh, you’ve been to plenty of them. You just never went in with us!”

The young acolyte blinked, baffled by the statement. “What?”

“Oh Belial, he’s right! You were so boring as Kerstin!” Alpha added, laughing as well. “We couldn’t take you anywhere!”

Still smiling, Cadence narrowed her eyes at the Fire Ghoul and folded her arms across her chest. “I was not boring! I was cool back then. I was practically your guys’ bodyguard for Lucifer’s sake!”

“Sure, when it came to combat I guess you were cool. But everything else?” Alpha gave another laugh. “Every time we went to a place like this you insisted on remaining outside to stand guard. You’d almost never join us for drinks. Sometimes you’d stay outside for hours only for there to be no attack!” The Ghoul leaned back a little in his chair, smirking at her.

“I don’t remember being like that!” All Cadence could recall about her second lifetime was how she had defended Papa and the Ghouls from monsters, as well as all the good times she had spent with Omega. Cadence turned her head to look behind her as Air approached their table, a few shot glasses in hand. “Air, did I really do that?”

The tall Ghoul paused after putting the full glasses down, thinking in silence for a moment. After a few seconds he shrugged. “Yeah, you did.”

“Oh come on!” The young acolyte raised her arms in exasperation as Alpha gave her a look that seemed to say “I told you so” while Mist, Water, and Earth all broke into hysterics upon seeing her reaction.

“What’s so funny?”

Everyone turned to see that Emeritus had finally joined them, carrying two drinks in his gloved hands. He was the only one out of all of them who hadn’t changed out of his costume.

“Papa, they said I was all work and no play during the Infestissumam lifetime!”

The dark pope took a moment to recall what he could from that era. After a few seconds, he smiled and gave a chuckle. 

“Well, Cadence, you were pretty stubborn back then. Sometimes even I could not talk sense into you. You only wanted to do your job.”

“I rest my case,” Alpha proudly announced, staring Cadence down. The young acolyte hung her head slightly to avoid making eye contact with him.

“But…” Papa carefully placed one of the shot glasses he was holding on the table and slid it over to her. “Just because that’s how you were then doesn’t mean you can’t learn to have a little fun now.” His smile widened and he winked at her as she met his eyes, before turning to look at everyone present at the table. He spoke as each of the Ghouls reached for a shot.

“My beloved faithful acolytes, tonight we put on a most splendid first ritual. We should all be delighted, for I have no doubt in my mind that we have made our dark lord proud. So now, I propose a toast.” He soon raised his glass triumphantly. “To many more nights like this one!”

Everyone cheered and raised their drinks, the glasses clinking softly together. Cadence watched as the others downed their shots in a single gulp, but she didn’t drink hers. She just stared at the liquid inside.  
The others all slammed their shot glasses against the table when they were finished, some impacts harder than others. One by one, they slowly noticed how Cadence had yet to consume the alcohol in hers.

“Cadence, you didn’t drink it?” Earth asked, laughing and smiling from the merriment.

The young acolyte shrugged her shoulders. “It’s just…been a while since I’ve consumed any sort of alcohol… Besides what’s served during mass, at least.”

“C’mon, do it!” Alpha exclaimed, eagerly urging her on. “The rest of us all did. Join in on the fun!”

The encouragement from the others made Cadence want to join in. Holding up her shot, she hesitated for a moment before tilting her head back slightly, quickly downing the alcohol. When she slammed the glass against the table after finishing, her fellow bandmates cheered (Alpha even slapped her on the back), pleased that she’d decided to partake in the celebration after all. Quickly, Papa and Air left to get more shots for the group.

***

“So...you and Papa, huh?”

Cadence blushed and averted her eyes as Aspen leaned in closer to her from across the table. “Oh, so you know about it?”

The dryad gave a laugh. “Who doesn’t?! We’ve all seen the way he looks at you.”

“It’s super cute, actually,” Dianna added with a grin. She took a moment to adjust her glasses. “I don't think I've seen him this happy in a while. It's a nice change.”

A smile began to appear on Cadence's face again. “Oh, definitely.” The young acolyte took a moment to finish what was left of her drink before speaking again. “So how did it go with distributing the Eucharist during Body and Blood? I was so preoccupied with singing I forgot to watch.”

Dianna's grin widened. “It was great! I ended up not dropping the chalice this time!” All three women laughed at the remark, their exuberance increased due to the amount of alcohol consumed. “Imperator still won't stop reminding me about that time I did.” 

Without warning Aspen suddenly became distracted by something going on across the room. After a couple seconds, her face scrunched up in repugnance. “Disgusting.”

Cadence and Dianna both looked at her confused. “What?”

Aspen pointed towards somewhere behind Dianna’s left shoulder. “Those two over there.”

Curious, Cadence sat up a little in an attempt to see just who Aspen was referring to. Before long, she finally noticed two tall dark-haired women standing extremely close to Emeritus. They twirled locks of their hair around their fingers and batted their eyelashes at him, and as they talked they stood in ways which accentuated the curves of their bodies. They also wore rather revealing outfits that exposed a lot of cleavage.

“Look at them,” Aspen remarked, disgust present both on her face and in her voice. “They clearly only want to get into his pants.”

Dianna merely shrugged and sipped her drink. “Well, who doesn’t? He is quite alluring.”

“Yeah, but they shouldn’t be treating him like he has no personality traits other than lascivious.”

Cadence remained silent as the two Sisters of Sin continued talking, her eyes completely focused on the two women standing next to Papa. One of them gently leaned against his arm as he chatted with them, a drink in his other hand. They were both strikingly beautiful. 

The young acolyte watched them for a few seconds before taking out her Testament and tapping the camera app to observe her own reflection. Her brow furrowed as her own face stared back at her on the small screen. Had her nose always been that long? How had she never noticed how square her face was, or how her hair always seemed to have split ends and wasn’t very shiny, until now?

She glanced up at the two women again. They were dressed in matching ensembles, with leather jackets, low-cut tank tops, tight pants and black boots with heels so high they looked like they could kill someone with one step. Their bodies were skinny and very voluptuous, and they wore makeup which highlighted their best facial features. Glancing back at her Testament screen, her face fell. Why hadn’t she put any makeup back on when she and Papa were done in the dressing room? It made her face look… flawed. She hated it.

“Hey, Cadence, you alright?”

Cadence jumped a little in her seat upon hearing Dianna say her name, her eyes darting back and forth between the two Sisters of Sin. Quickly, she put her Testament down.

“I, uh…” She dared another glance in Papa’s direction, watching as he gave a boisterous laugh after one of the girls spoke something to him. The sound of it quickly reached her ears. It made her chest hurt. “...I think I’d like another drink.”

***

One more drink quickly turned into two, then three, and then more until Cadence was dizzy and slurring her words.

“I...think you’ve had enough, Cadence,” Dianna remarked, concern present on her face. Cautiously, she reached out and moved the empty glass out of the young acolyte’s reach.

Cadence’s head was currently laying on top of the arm she had resting on the table. “Juss one more…” she murmured, trying to reach for the glass Dianna had taken from her.

Aspen shook her head firmly. “No more alcohol, but you can have some water.”

Cadence groaned as the drink was placed in front of her, uninterested. She glanced over at where she had last seen Papa and the two women only to find no one standing there anymore. “Where-” She paused, hiccuping once. “Where’s Papa?”

Both Sisters of Sin glanced around for a moment before Aspen spoke up. “I...think he went outside.”

Lifting her head, Cadence glanced towards the doorway of the bar. Before the two Sisters could even realize it, she was already on the move, stumbling occasionally as she attempted to reach her destination. Fortunately it wasn’t an extremely long distance, and the girl made it after only a couple small falters.

The cool autumn breeze hit her the moment she stepped outside. Hardly anyone was standing outside with her when she exited the building. To her right there was a sandy-haired man wearing a leather jacket leaning against the wall, an unlit cigarette in his gloved hand. Looking over to her left, she finally saw Emeritus. He was staring up at the sky, occasionally sipping his drink. Slowly, the young acolyte walked up behind him and grabbed hold of his empty hand, squeezing it. He turned, surprised, and smiled upon seeing it was her.

“Having a good night, Ghuleh?” The dark pope gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “I thought I’d take a moment to just get some fresh air and admire the stars.” He looked up again at the sky and sighed contently after a moment. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”

Frustration raced through Cadence’s head in a split second. ‘Don’t look at them, look at me. Say I’m beautiful.’ Without warning, she grabbed hold of Papa’s shirt and pulled him close, kissing him full on the lips. The man with the sandy hair lit his cigarette with a lighter.

Emeritus’ eyes widened and he dropped his drink as he quickly realized what was happening. He kissed her back, but only for a couple brief seconds before pulling himself away, not wanting to risk anything.

A whimper left Cadence as the kiss ended too soon. Eager for attention, she pressed herself against Emeritus’ body and closed her eyes. “...Can we get out of here?” she whispered.

Gently, Papa tucked a few strands of Cadence’s hair behind her ear. 

“Darling…” He carefully tilted her head up to look into her eyes. “I’d love to, but you’re clearly drunk. And I myself am feeling a little…” His smile widened and he chuckled. “I just don’t want anything to happen, you know?”

Her brow furrowing, Cadence reached up and clung to him, the alcohol making her persistent. “Please?”

“C-Cadence-” He stopped himself upon realizing how tired she looked as she did her best to stifle a yawn. “I...I think you’ve been through enough for one day. You look exhausted.”

The young acolyte whimpered softly again and hesitated before stepping away, disappointed. At that moment, Dianna and Aspen reached the doorway, worry present on both their faces.

“Everything alright, Papa?” Dianna asked, hurrying over to them.

The dark pope nodded his head in reply. “Yes, we’re fine. But I think Cadence needs a rest. She’s been through a lot tonight.”

Dianna glanced at Cadence for a brief moment before meeting Papa’s mismatched eyes again. “We can take her back to the bus, if you want.”

A smile appeared on Emeritus’ face and he nodded again. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I’d do it if I could, but you and Aspen are a bit more sober.” He chuckled before looking down to meet Cadence’s eyes. “Ghuleh, are you okay with that?”

The young acolyte grunted softly, indicating that she was rather indifferent to the situation. After a moment, she nodded her head.

“Alright.” Papa placed a gentle kiss on Cadence’s forehead before handing her over to Dianna. “You three be careful.”

“We will!” Aspen replied, beaming. After saying goodbye, she began skipping towards the direction of the bus, Dianna and Cadence a short distance behind her. Papa watched the three of them go until he could barely see them anymore, a content smile present on his face.

The light from the man's cigarette dimmed as he once again lowered it and blew out a cloud of smoke. After a couple seconds, a grin appeared on his face. “Be careful. More like how careless of you, Emeritus.”

Hearing this stranger speak to him in such a way caught Papa completely off guard. He turned to look at the sandy-haired gentleman, who the dark pope noticed was wearing a pair of sunglasses despite the fact that it was nighttime. “Pardon?”

Dropping the cigarette, the man stepped away from the wall and snuffed the piece of tobacco out with his shoe before slowly making his way towards the dark pope. “Here you are, allowing the girl you supposedly love to wander off drunkenly with two inexperienced Sisters.” His grin widened. “That was very unwise. Don’t you know one of Michael’s monsters is lurking around where they’re headed towards as we speak?”

Emeritus’ eyes widened, and he took a cautious step backwards. “What-” But before he could even finished his sentence, he felt his back bump into someone. Turning, the dark pope was surprised to see the two dark-haired women he had been talking to earlier standing behind him, blocking his way back into the bar. He uttered a cry of surprise as they reached out and grabbed him without warning, gripping him tightly so as to not let him escape. It was then that he finally noticed how the girls’ hands resembled something like claws, and how there were tiny horns sprouting from their foreheads. He cursed under his breath as he watched bat-like wings appear on their backs. 

Succubi. He should’ve known! Immediately, his mind screamed at him to get away from these vile creatures as he attempted to fight their grip, but to no avail.

The man gave an amused laugh as he watched the dark pope struggle and quickly snapped his fingers. “And yet you said you wouldn’t allow Elizabeth to walk into danger,” he remarked, lowering his sunglasses just slightly.

Papa gasped as the familiar fiery red-orange eyes stared back at him. “L-Lucifer…” Fearing the possibilities of what could happen, he attempted to free himself from the succubi’s grasp again.

One of them gripped him tighter and forcefully yanked him back. “Uh, uh, uh. Don’t be a bad boy, Emeritus.”

“Your dark lord is speaking to you,” the other whispered. “It would be unwise to be disrespectful.”

The dark pope gritted his teeth in frustration. “Let go!”

“Aww, we thought you liked us…” The first one murmured, giggling as she wrapped an arm around him.

“Not anymore you repulsive-”

“Enough!” The devil’s booming voice caused the three of them to cease their struggle. The joyful buzz of activity inside the bar continued as if the commotion outside was nonexistent. Lucifer glared at Emeritus, staring him down as they reached into the pocket of their leather jacket and produced a tiny glass sphere.

The dark pope did his best to hide his fear behind a straight face. “My Ghouls will overhear this,” he declared. “This won’t go unnoticed for long.”

Lucifer shook their head. “You are wrong about that, my son.”

Confusion showed on Emeritus’ face for a split second, then shock as he watched a young couple pass right through the devil. He watched as the two of them remained completely oblivious to what was happening, passing through him and the succubi in the same way before entering the bar. 

“I wanted this little meeting of ours to remain uninterrupted, so I cast a spell. Until I make it wear off, we are like shadows to all those around us. They will not be able to see nor hear any of this.”

A look of smugness suddenly appeared on the devil’s face as they held up the glass sphere they had taken out earlier. “Now, Emeritus, we shall wait and see the result of your actions. Only then will I allow you to go free.”

His brow furrowing, Papa gazed at the glass sphere in Lucifer’s hand. Inside, he could see Dianna helping Cadence through the parking lot, Aspen skipping along a little ways ahead of them. He began to fear for the three of them.

“Ladies, please be alright…” he murmured softly.


	12. From Shadows

Dark clouds were slowly rolling in, obscuring most of the light from the moon. Most of the cars had left the parking lot by now, leaving the area empty as the three women walked towards the bus. Only the sound of Aspen’s voice broke the silence as she sang loudly, not having a care in the world.

“Weave us a mist, fog-weaver…” Giggling, the red-head turned around and stopped skipping momentarily to face her fellow Sister of Sin. “C’mon, Dianna, sing with me!”

Dianna only gave a laugh, clearly more focused on the task at hand. “I, uh… I’m not much of a singer…” she replied. “Sorry.”

Aspen’s elven ears drooped momentarily, indicating her disappointment, only to quickly perk back up after a split second. A smile appeared on her face again, as if her brief dismay had never happened. “Okay then!”

Dianna watched as Aspen turned back around and returned to skipping about merrily before looking back down at Cadence, who was currently leaning against her for support. “You doing alright?” she asked, a concerned look in her eyes. She moved cautiously, not wanting to cause the shorter girl to stumble.

Wordlessly, Cadence nodded in response.

“It shouldn’t be too much longer,” the Sister of Sin remarked. “We’re almost at the bus.”

The young acolyte nodded again, and before long Dianna returned her attention to the path she was taking. However, no sooner had she done so she stopped abruptly, as she’d nearly bumped into Aspen. The dryad had ceased prancing about and was now staring at the ground near her feet.

Cautious, Dianna moved to stand beside her fellow Sister of Sin and see what she was looking at. Her eyes widened as she saw the same glowing red crevice in the ground Cadence had noticed that morning. The two of them glanced at each other, giving equal looks of concern. They both knew what this meant, and it wasn’t good.

Aspen’s ears suddenly perked up, detecting a faint sound. “...You hear that?”

Dianna listened intently, soon picking up on the noise as well. It was a low, deep rumbling, almost like growling.

Still groggy, Cadence lifted her head up slightly. “...Thunder?”

“Can’t be. There’s no storm around here for miles.” Taking a moment to adjust her glasses, Dianna looked around to try and find the source of the sound. It seemed to be getting louder…

Suddenly, Aspen’s eyes widened and she gasped loudly, pointing at something behind Dianna’s shoulder. The other Sister turned. There, some distance away, was a giant monstrous creature. It was black and white, with the body of a lion, red dragon-like wings, and a massive scorpion-like tail. Drool steadily dripped from its rows of razor-sharp fangs as it growled, its glowing red eyes fixated on the three of them.

“What the f- Is that a manticore?!” Dianna exclaimed, eyes wide in utter shock. She struggled to keep Cadence upright as the young acolyte slumped over slightly in her grasp.

The manticore’s growling grew louder as it stamped a front paw on the ground, looking like it was going to charge at any second.

Boldly, Aspen stepped forward until she was standing between the monstrous creature and her fellow Sister of Sin. The manticore snarled at her as she came close.

“Dianna…” Her eyes focused on the monster, the dryad began to roll up her sleeves, exposing her forearms. “Get Cadence on the bus.”

The taller woman carefully wrapped one of Cadence’s arms around her shoulder. “Should I get-” 

Before Dianna could finish her question, the manticore lunged, intent on tearing Aspen to shreds with its claws. Immediately, the dryad crossed her arms over her chest as if to shield herself. She leapt back, narrowly dodging the claws while leaving behind what appeared to be a copy of herself made entirely of tree bark and leaves where she once stood. The manticore’s sharp nails raked against the wood, leaving a deep gash. As if irritated by the trick, it took the copy in its mouth and bit it in two, causing splinters to scatter about the pavement, which disappeared in tiny puffs of dust after a few seconds.

“Please do! Without them we could risk becoming this thing’s dinner.”

Dianna nodded, then quickly ushered Cadence towards the tour bus while doing her best to prevent her from falling. Upon arriving, they ascended the stairs, and Dianna began moving Cadence towards one of the couches. However, the young acolyte began to resist.

“...I can help,” she murmured, attempting to head back towards the doors they came through.

“Cadence, no. You’re still drunk.” Carefully, Dianna sat her down, ensuring to keep her upright. “Just stay here. You’ll be safer.”

“But-”

“It’s okay. Aspen and I got this.” The Sister of Sin smiled. “Not the first time we’ve fought a monster this big.” Not waiting for any sort of response, she hurried over to one of the large overhead compartments and opened it. Inside were the two giant cases she had been carrying that morning, which took up the entirely of the space they were in. The first was gigantic, almost as long as she was tall, while the other was about half that size.

Casting one last look in Cadence’s direction, Dianna hurried back outside. Aspen was still dodging the manticore’s attacks, either using more tree clones or teleporting out of the way in a flurry of white flower petals.

“Aspen!”

The dryad turned just in time to see Dianna toss her the smaller wooden case. She caught it with ease, just as the manticore lunged at her again. Its large claws scratched the wooden case, leaving a noticeable mark. She gasped, horrified at the damage caused by the attack. 

“How dare you! This was handmade!” Angered, she swatted the manticore across the face with the carrier. The monster remained momentarily stunned from the hit, only to glare back at Aspen and snarl louder than before, causing the red head to flinch.

“Here kitty!”

Hearing Dianna’s shouting, the manticore turned to face her direction. The taller Sister had discarded her own carrying case by now, and in her hands was a long, sharpened naginata. She pointed the bladed end at the beast. Its blood-red wings rustled as it growled, still drooling. It didn’t frighten her.

The monster charged again. Unfazed, Dianna merely step-sided out of the way, swinging her weapon as the creature came close. The blade struck the upper part of its back leg, sending the manticore sprawling to the ground. However, much to the Sister’s dismay, it quickly got back up, its tail twitching once again before the venomous point lashed out. 

It did not reach its intended target. Before the tail had a chance to even come close to grazing Dianna, Aspen appeared in front of her in a flurry of flower petals and struck with one of the short swords she was now holding, beating the tail back. 

“Not today, pal!”

As the manticore recoiled she jumped up and swung again, slicing the poisonous end clean off. The beast roared in pain and retreated a few steps, as if attempting to find refuge behind whatever nearby object it came across first. It stopped when it was next to a nearby light post, which bathed the area they were in in a bright light. 

Without warning, the manticore’s wings fully unfurled, the force of the collision knocking the light post down with ease. 

“Shit!” Both women shielded their faces as the lightbulbs shattered against the ground, sending bits of glass everywhere.

Dianna was the first to lower her arm after a few seconds had passed. “You okay?” she asked, turning her head in Aspen’s direction.

“Yeah, you?” The dryad looked back towards where they had last seen the manticore, only to realize the beast was no longer present where it once stood. “Where-” She quickly stopped herself before she could finish her question, her eyes widening as she noticed a large winged silhouette in the sky, blocking out the light of the moon. A soft, fiery glow illuminated razor sharp fangs, steadily burning brighter and brighter until-

“Watch out!” Dianna shoved Aspen out of the way as stream of fire shot towards them from the manticore’s mouth. She felt the heat of the flames as they narrowly missed her, coming dangerously close to singeing her nun attire. Relief washed through her as the blaze died down, only to immediately disappear as she watched the manticore descend towards them at an alarming speed. She gripped her naginata tighter and swung as the monster flew over. The blade dug into the right wing, tearing it almost completely down the middle. The manticore struggled to remain airborne despite the serious injury, only to succumb to it moments later. Its giant body skidded across the pavement, coming to a halt as it crashed head-on into an empty, parked car.

Aspen smiled, her pointy ears wiggling from happiness. “Nice one!”

“It’s not done with us yet.” The tall Sister of Sin readied her weapon again, cautious. She watched as the manticore began to get back onto its feet. “Clip the other wing. Then we can finally finish it off.”

“On it!” In a burst of white flower petals, Aspen shot forward, readying her blades to strike. The manticore lunged at her as she got close, only to once again rake its claws against another one of the dryad’s tree copies. She took the opportunity and swung. Her swords tore into the other wing with ease, leaving a similar mortal wound. The monster roared in agony, flames once again building up in its throat.

Aspen immediately took notice of this. “Oh no you don’t!” she exclaimed, boldly hopping onto the beast’s back. She tugged at its burgundy mane with one hand, using her other to plunge one of her swords deep into its side. The manticore roared again, louder this time, standing on its hind legs as flames erupted into the sky, missing Dianna completely. But this same action caused Aspen to lose her balance and she soon fell off the monster’s back, dropping her other sword as she hit the ground, landing on her back. The manticore set its glowing eyes on her and turned towards where she had fallen, clearly intent on making her its next meal. It dared to step closer as the dryad struggled to push herself off the ground, clearly injured from the fall.

“Hey, get away from her!” Dianna shouted, drawing its attention away from her fallen friend. She pointed the blade of her weapon at the monster once more, waiting for the moment it would lunge towards her. She didn’t have to wait long and quickly charged towards the monster, prepared to strike. Her attack missed, however. The manticore managed to knock her down with a swipe of its paw. The Sister of Sin gritted her teeth as she hit the ground hard, and her momentary relief of finding that no blood had been drawn quickly ended upon realizing her glasses had fallen off her face. Panicking, she desperately felt around her, hoping to find them.

The manticore, however, was clearly not going to wait. With her now at a disadvantage, it eyed Dianna like a calf with a broken leg - easy pickings. It licked its lips as it watched her, her hands fumbling around senselessly as she searched for her glasses. Soon the monster could take it no longer and charged, mouth wide open and razor-sharp fangs exposed.

Dianna finally felt the glasses underneath her fingertips. She sighed, relieved, and began to rise as she put them back on. However, she soon became aware of the fact that the manticore was racing towards her. In a flash, she picked up her weapon and turned to face the beast. As the manticore was about to pounce on her she struck, thrusting the bladed end of the naginata down the monster’s throat. The beast went rigid. Dianna could see the look in its eyes: it knew there was no hope of victory now.

Without warning, Aspen appeared above the manticore in a burst of flower petals. She yelled as she descended towards it, plunging her dual swords into its back as far as they would go.

Silence fell as the two Sisters held their breath. The manticore’s eyes steadily grew dimmer as it's eyes struggled to remain open. Without uttering a sound, both women forcefully pulled their weapons out, allowing the beast to finally succumb to its fatal wounds. It collapsed at Dianna's feet, and no more than a few seconds passed before the monster began to dissolve before them, ultimately disappearing into thin air.

With the fight finally over, both Sisters of Sin dropped their weapons, exhausted. Dianna placed her hands on her knees as she attempted to catch her breath.

“Well…” she panted, a smile beginning to form on her face. “That just happened.”

Aspen looked like she was going to burst with excitement. Squealing, she wrapped her arms tightly around Dianna, locking her in a hug. “That was so awesome!” she exclaimed. “I wish Cadence had gotten to see all that!”

The mention of the young acolyte’s name cause Dianna’s smile to suddenly disappear. She cursed under her breath as she untangled herself from Aspen’s arms and ran back towards the bus as fast as she could, taking two steps at a time as she ascended the stairs. Upon entering, she was relieved to find that the girl was seated right where she had left her.

Slowly, Cadence lifted her head, staring blankly out the window across from her with half-lidded eyes. 

“...It’s quiet,” she murmured. She turned her head to meet Dianna’s eyes. “What happened?”

Her smile reappearing, Dianna wrapped her arms around the young acolyte.

“We got it, Cadence. It’s gone. We don’t have to worry anymore.”


	13. Phenomenon

The devil gave a huff as the last few moments of the fight replayed themselves inside the glass sphere. Their face was void of emotion, although their fiery orange eyes seemed to hint at irritation.

“...I see your clergy has trained those two Sisters well,” they remarked, staring through the glass to look down at Emeritus, who was still being held captive by the two succubi. “You must be rather proud of them.”

Papa couldn’t help but smile a little, proving Lucifer right. “Our Sisters and Brothers of Sin train just as hard as the Ghouls do. Helps for situations like the one we just witnessed.”

The devil's expression remained unchanged. “But they won't be with you for the rest of the tour, will they?”

Realizing they were right, Emeritus’ face fell. Dianna and Aspen would have to return to Meliora the next morning. It was one of Sister Imperator’s many rules that were put in place to make sure less lives were lost while the band was in this realm.

One of the succubi giggled and began petting his arm. “But we can stay…” she whispered, smiling deviously. 

The demon's words angered Papa and he quickly shot her a glare. He wanted to lash out again as she caressed the side of his face, but before he could even open his mouth the devil snapped their fingers.

“That is enough, Lilith. You and your sister let him go.”

The two succubi pouted and turned to look at each other. After a few seconds, they finally obliged, dropping the dark pope. He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could before turning to confront them, gritting his teeth as he reached inside his suit jacket for his dagger.

“Emeritus.”

The devil's cautious tone made Papa freeze, and he turned to look over at them. By now Lucifer had put the glass sphere away and was currently holding another lit cigarette.

“I would advise you to put Requiem away. You've grown more powerful since the last tour.” They looked up at him from behind the sunglasses and raised an eyebrow. “You don't want the people of this realm to notice you with a weapon, do you? It would ruin your reputation.”

The dark pope glanced down at the intricate handle of his dagger, still tempted to unsheath it despite the devil's words. He wanted to get back at the twin demons who had held him down. And why shouldn’t he? These vile creatures had caused him nothing but trouble. Hell could do without two more succubi anyway. Still, reason got the better of him, and he shot the two women a glare as he reluctantly put his weapon back.

A grin began to appear on the devil’s face. “Such a smart son I have, choosing to keep his powers hidden.” The end of the cigarette glowed red-orange as they took another drag, remaining silent until the two succubi were standing beside them. “I encourage you to have things stay that way, Emeritus. You never know when another person of this realm will start to notice something…”

Without warning, flames erupted from the ground. The dark pope to step back in alarm, watching as the tongues of fire spread around Lucifer and their demon minions, forming a wide circle.

The devil’s grin grew wider, amused by his startled expression. “...unusual.” Eyes completely focused on the dark pope, they cast the cigarette aside before straightening their leather jacket. “Until next time, my son. We shall see each other again.” 

Papa watched as the three of them sunk down into the circle of fire, disappearing among the flames. The red-orange blaze soon died out, leaving no trace of burning on the stone-covered ground. A second passed before he suddenly dropped to his knees, his eyes wide as he clutched his chest with one hand. His heart beat rapidly with distress as he did his best to process everything that had transpired.

He muttered a curse in some foreign language. How could he have been so stupid?! They had all seen the pictures Mist took the previous day. He should’ve expected this attack!

He glanced towards the doorway of the bar, hoping that no one else was staring. Fortunately, he found himself alone, but despite that the dark pope was not going to take any more chances. Carefully, he got back onto his feet and walked around the corner to get out of view, pressing his back against the wall. Closing his eyes, he pressed a gloved hand to his side, where he knew his sigil to be.

“Annali…” He whispered his familiar’s name softly, although his desperation to get to Cadence and the others was clearly noticeable in his voice. When, he didn’t sense his familiar’s presence, he urgently repeated her name. “Annali!”

“You only need to call me once,” said a female voice in his head, its tone rather irritated.

The dark pope looked down near his feet and soon met the mismatched glare of his fluffy siamese. He sighed in relief, attempting to calm himself before kneeling down before her. “Annali, I need to get back to the bus.”

The siamese blinked, flicking her tail once. “Is it urgent?”

“Yes!” Emeritus nearly shouted at his familiar, but quickly stopped himself before the plea could become a full-fledged outburst. He didn’t want to draw too much attention. “There was an attack. One of the angels. I need to make sure everyone is alright.”

At those words, Annali’s ears perked up in surprise. 

“Already?” She quickly stood up on all fours. “Say no more.”

In the blink of an eye, the familiar transformed into a cloud of black smoke. Papa closed his eyes as the smoke quickly engulfed him, picturing his desired destination in his mind with urgency.

The frigid wind died down almost as soon as it started, and once it did the dark pope opened his eyes to find himself standing outside the bus. He listened, hoping to hear something coming from inside, but to his dismay he could hear nothing. With Annali following close behind, he hurried over to the bus doors and rapped against them with one hand, hoping that the girls’ injuries were not severe.

The silence lingered a few seconds after Papa lowered his hand, but to his relief the sound of footsteps reached his ears. The double doors soon opened, and Emeritus’ eyes widened upon seeing Dianna at the top of the steps.

“Everyone alright?” he asked, eager for a positive response.

Dianna nodded her head as Papa ascended the steps in a hurry. “Yes, we’re all fine.”

“...It’s quiet.” The dark pope glanced around as Dianna closed the doors once Annali was onboard as well. “Aspen’s usually-”

“I gave her some Remedium for her injuries.” The Sister of Sin pushed her glasses into place. “Fortunately they weren’t fatal, but she got scraped up pretty badly.” She pointed over to the couch. “She’s resting over there.”

Papa walked over to where Dianna was pointing. Aspen was currently spread across the couch, with her head propped up by a pillow. A few bandages covered her arms, and there was one visible on her face as well.

The dryad seemed to stir as he approached, her elven ears twitching as they detected the sound of his footsteps. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and smiled upon seeing him. “Hi, Papa,” she murmured.

A smile soon began to show on Emeritus’ face as well. He knelt so that he was closer to eye-level with the shorter Sister of Sin. “You going to be okay?” he asked, his brow furrowing slightly with worry.

Aspen’s smile widened and she nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be alright. Shouldn’t be too much longer for the rest of the medicine to kick in.”

The dark pope gave a sigh of relief as he stood back up. “Thank goodness.” He then glanced around the bus again, but found there was one person missing. Worry began to build up inside him again as he turned to face Diana. “Where’s Cadence?”

Dianna nodded towards the doorway which led to the room with the bunks. “She’s resting too.”

Taking a breath to calm himself, Papa entered the room Dianna had motioned towards. Unlike the previous room he had been in moments before, here the lights were off and the curtains drawn. After a bit of searching, he finally found the young acolyte sleeping in the lower bunk farthest from the door.

The dark pope smiled fondly as he knelt beside his love. She always looked so peaceful and content when she slept. Gently, he took hold of Cadence’s hand and brought it to his lips, placing a light yet prolonged kiss on the back of it.

“...Papa?”

Emeritus quickly glanced up to find that Cadence was awake, albeit still half-asleep as she gazed back at him. He quickly put her hand back down. “Oh, Ghuleh, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay.” A smile seemed to tug at the corners of her mouth for a moment, and it was then that Papa noticed that she didn’t appear as intoxicated as the last time he had seen her, even though it hadn’t been that long ago. He turned towards Dianna again, who was standing near the doorway.

“How is she this sobered up already?” he asked.

Dianna seemed to understand his confusion. “Aspen found one of the potions Earth had stored and gave it to her.”

“I don’t remember what it’s called but it’s supposed to sober the drinker up in a matter of minutes,” Aspen explained, still laying on the couch. “We tried using it a lot during the second era, but back then the potion hadn’t been perfected so the Ghouls kept getting sick.”

“And there wasn’t a lot of it left, so we only gave her a little bit.” Dianna turned to look at Cadence as the young acolyte was helped up. “Cadence, are you feeling any better?”

Cadence nodded in response as she attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

Gently, Papa wrapped an arm around Cadence as he led her out into the lit room with the others. As the silence hung around them, he glanced at each woman remorsefully.

“I am so sorry.” The regret he felt was just as prevalent in his voice as it was on his face. “I should’ve anticipated this attack. None of you would’ve gotten hurt if I did.”

Noticing his distress, Dianna quickly pulled up a chair so the dark pope could sit down. “Papa, stop. Don’t blame yourself.” 

“Yeah, we totally had it under control,” Aspen added. She proceeded to remove the bandage on her face, revealing that the medicine had finally caused the wound to finish healing. “Michael could’ve sent ten of those manticores and we still would’ve beat them!”

As Aspen finished speaking, Cadence finally seemed to have become fully awake. She glanced at everyone else in the room, baffled.

“Wait wait, back up just a bit,” she exclaimed, holding up her hands. “You’re telling me that there was an attack from one of Michael’s monsters right here, and nobody else noticed?” She glanced out the bus window. “How is there not a huge commotion outside right now? It’s pretty difficult to miss a giant manticore.”

Emeritus nodded, understanding the young acolyte’s confusion. He sat down in the chair Dianna had gotten for him, crossing his legs as he met Cadence’s eyes.

“It’s a phenomenon that we still have yet to fully understand, Cadence. We’ve observed it since the beginning of the Opus Era.” He paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Apparently, when someone or something from one realm visits another realm, it can’t always be seen by the other realm’s inhabitants.”

“But...we can be seen here just fine,” Cadence remarked, sitting down next to Aspen.

“And it took us decades, if not centuries, to get to this point. See, a realm’s inhabitants have to grow strong in order to be visible in another. Otherwise, they’ll just end up invisible to everything around them.” He sighed, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “That’s… why we had you murdering so many people back when you were still Elizabeth. Their life force gave us the power we needed to start conquering other realms.”

Cadence winced as the memories of that first lifetime flashed through her head, but she chose to focus on what she was being told. “Okay…”

“It was a very slow process. Apparently different realms require different amounts of collected life force, depending on its strength. This realm in particular has always been very strong, and we had plans to conquer it once before.” The dark pope shook his head. “We got some people on our side, but the rest fought back in the name of their religion. Witch hunts, inquisitions, radical movements. We...we thought banishing the angels here would cause them suffering, but…” His gloved hands suddenly clenched into fists. “They bought into the ridiculous lies instead! Now they preach nonsense about ‘salvation’ and their so-called-” He abruptly stopped himself, shaking his head as he made a disgusted face. “Ugh, I can’t even bring myself to say it.”

Dianna folded her arms across her chest and frowned. “God.”

Emeritus immediately tensed up as the word reached his ears, reacting as if he had heard nails being scraped against a chalkboard. “Please. Don’t. Say it,” he pleaded. After a moment, he calmed back down and continued.

“Regardless, they are only a little stronger than when they were first banished due to their attacks on our realm. That’s why so many of this realm’s inhabitants cannot see what we can. They cannot see the angel’s wings, their magic, their weapons, and especially not Michael’s monsters. Likewise, the majority cannot see ours either.”

“...And those who can?” Cadence asked.

Papa glanced over at Dianna. “They join us, if they so choose.”

Cadence looked over at the Sister of Sin, eyes wide. “You?”

Keeping a straight face, Dianna nodded. “It was after the ritual I had attended. I was walking to my car when I was attacked by a couple monsters, but Alpha and Water arrived in time to save me. I didn't have a good life here. It didn't take much convincing to get me to join." 

Cadence nodded before meeting Emeritus’ eyes again. “What about those that don’t want to?”

Her question was followed by a brief silence.

“I have yet to encounter someone who refused,” Papa remarked.

Cadence pressed her lips firmly together, doing her best to comprehend all that she was being told. “So...there could be something visiting Meliora from another realm as we speak, and we wouldn’t know it was among us because it didn’t have enough collected life force for us to see it?”

The other three stared back at her, eyes wide. Startled by her suggestion, Papa placed a hand on his chest.

“Goodness, I sure hope not! We can’t afford to have another adversary when we’re still dealing with the angels.”

At that moment, the doors suddenly opened, and everyone onboard turned towards them. Before long, they saw Alpha ascend the stairs. The Ghoul immediately stopped upon noticing the others and quickly turned towards Aspen upon noticing her bandaged wounds.

“The hell happened while we were away?” he asked. The other Ghouls all soon gathered behind him, equal looks of concern present on their faces.

Papa sighed and stood up from his seat.

“We’ll discuss it later. For now, I think we should head back to the hotel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! Hope you all enjoyed (and hopefully things weren't too confusing). I wanted to make sure it was easy to understand. But I will happily answer any confused reader's questions.


	14. Mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short one this time. Just wanted to finish this part up. So glad it's finally done! Gonna try starting Part 5 tomorrow.

Not pretty.

Cadence stared blankly at her reflection in the dim lighting of the apartment bathroom. With one hand, she tucked some of her hair behind one ear as she studied herself. The longer she looked, the more disgusted she felt.

Not pretty.

She thought back to when she had been at the bar, when she’d seen Papa talking with the two gorgeous dark-haired women. He had been so happy talking with them… 

Tears began to well up in her eyes. How could he even stand to be with her? How could he bear to look at her? She wasn’t beautiful like those other women. Not even close. She was too short, too flat-chested. She didn’t feel skinny enough. Those two were like goddesses compared to her. 

It’s no wonder he had spent all that time with them…

She wrapped her arms around herself, unmanicured nails (another flaw, she noted) digging into her skin as tears silently began to fall. She used to be prettier. As Elizabeth she had been tall, elegant, curvaceous. Why couldn’t things have stayed that way? What had she done to lose her glamor?

Did Papa even mean those words he always said? Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning? No, they were probably only to keep her spirits up, to make her feel better about herself, but she could see the truth. She wasn’t beautiful. She never was, not in this lifetime. 

She didn’t deserve him. 

A quiet knock came from behind the door. 

“Ghuleh, everything okay?”

Cadence quickly wiped her tears away.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”

It was a blatant lie, she knew. A part of her felt bad, lying to Emeritus. But she couldn’t take back those words now.

As she finally finished changing into her sleepwear for the night, the young acolyte chose to keep a smile on her face. She would hide her grief; mask it.

Anything to keep Papa from noticing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy that so many of you have continued to enjoy this series during (soon to be) two years. I can't thank you all enough. Love you all!


End file.
